Location: New Jersey, USA. My mother wants me and my sister (18F) to sign and notorize a “Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care” form. We have no pre existing health conditions and neither of us are married. My mother is worried that she and my father would have no say in our care if we were unable to make our own healthcare decisions; this fear is brought on by me traveling internationally soon (Japan) and my sister going to college.
This really feels like a dumb question and situation but wouldn’t our parents make our care decisions anyway if we were incapacitated, even as adults, because we have no other close relatives legally? Does this change based on international travel? Would signing this give my parents access to my medical records? One of my uncles is a lawyer and apparently backs my parents on this and they are insisting we do this soon, but my gut is telling me this is unnecessary. Thank you.
Comments
Say no! Your parents as the next of kin already have the right to make decisions about your healthcare and these types of forms often have lots of hidden details, giving them control over your finances etc.