A power of attorney is a legal document you can use to give someone else the authority to take specific actions on your behalf, such as signing your checks to pay your bills or selling a particular piece of real estate for you. If a power of attorney is durable, it remains valid and in effect even if you become incapacitated and unable to make decisions for yourself. If a power of attorney document does not explicitly say that the power is durable, it ends if you become incapacitated.

There are two kinds of durable powers of attorney: a durable power of attorney for finances lets you name someone to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated, and a durable power of attorney for healthcare allows someone to make medical decisions for you if you are no longer able to speak for yourself. Preparing these two documents, along with a healthcare directive -- commonly called a Declaration and commonly thought of as a living will -- that sets out your wishes for medical care, ensures that your health and financial matters will stay in the hands of trusted people you choose.

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