A Health Care Power of Attorney (HCPOA) is a legal document that allows an individual to designate another person to make medical decisions for him or her when he or she cannot make decisions for himself or herself. In other words it names someone who stands in your shoes and tells the doctors what to do or what not do for you. A person need not be terminally ill, elderly, or facing high risk activities to execute a HCPOA. Health care decisions include the power to consent, refuse consent or withdraw consent to any type of medical care, treatment, service or procedure. A HCPOA is also referred to as health care proxy, medical power of attorney and Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.