Power of Attorney & Healthcare Directives in Connecticut
Who manages your finances and medical decisions if you can't speak for yourself? These documents answer that question in advance.
Most estate planning conversations start with a will. Far fewer start with the question that actually matters first: who handles things if you're still alive but can't manage them yourself — after a stroke, an accident, or a decline that happens gradually with age? That's what a power of attorney and a healthcare proxy are for, and without them, your family's only option is a court process you'd probably rather avoid.
What Is a Durable Power of Attorney?
A durable power of attorney is a document that lets you name someone you trust — your "agent" or "attorney-in-fact" — to manage your financial affairs if you become unable to. "Durable" means it remains valid even after you become incapacitated, which is the entire point: a standard (non-durable) power of attorney actually stops working at the moment you'd need it most.
Healthcare Proxy and Advance Directive
A healthcare proxy is a separate document that names someone to make medical decisions on your behalf if you're unable to communicate them yourself. An advance directive (sometimes called a living will) works alongside it — it records your own wishes about end-of-life care in advance, so the person you've named isn't guessing.
| Document | What It Covers |
|---|---|
| Durable Power of Attorney | Financial and legal decisions — banking, bills, property, benefits applications |
| Healthcare Proxy | Who makes medical decisions for you if you can't communicate them |
| Advance Directive / Living Will | Your own stated wishes about end-of-life and life-sustaining treatment |
What Happens Without One?
If you become incapacitated without these documents in place, your family generally has to petition the Probate Court to establish a conservatorship — a court-supervised arrangement where a judge appoints someone (a conservator) to manage your affairs. It's a public process, it takes time, and it costs more than preparing these documents in advance would have. For families already managing a health crisis, that's an added burden at the worst possible moment.
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Schedule a Consultation (203) 375-4040Frequently Asked Questions
A durable power of attorney is a legal document that lets you name someone you trust — your "agent" or "attorney-in-fact" — to manage your financial affairs if you become unable to do so yourself. "Durable" means it stays in effect even if you later become incapacitated, which is the whole point of having one.
A durable power of attorney covers financial and legal decisions. A healthcare proxy (sometimes called a healthcare power of attorney) is a separate document that names someone to make medical decisions on your behalf if you can't communicate them yourself. Most people sign both, since they cover different things.
Your family generally has to petition the Probate Court to establish a conservatorship, which gives a court-appointed conservator authority over your affairs. It's a public, court-supervised process that takes time and money to set up — exactly what a power of attorney is designed to avoid.
An advance directive (also called a living will) is a document where you specify your own wishes for end-of-life medical care in advance — things like whether you want life-sustaining treatment under certain conditions. It works alongside a healthcare proxy: the proxy names who decides, the advance directive records what you'd actually want.
Related reading: Wills & Trusts Services · Conservatorship in Connecticut · Probate in Connecticut: What to Expect
Put These Documents in Place Before They're Needed
A conversation now is simpler and less costly than a court process later.