No, it’s not. If you become so ill or you are so badly injured in an accident that you cannot make your own health care decisions, your Health Care Proxy gives an agent appointed by you the authority to make these decisions for you. You may also not be able to take care of your finances; then the agent you appointed under your Power of Attorney will step in and pay your bills, do your banking, and take charge of other monetary transactions. You can choose the same person to act as your Health Care Agent and Agent under your Power of Attorney. But you must have executed these documents! If you have neither document, you may need a court-appointed guardian to make decisions about your health and finances. Appointing a guardian is a costly procedure. Let Joan C. Lenihan, Attorney at Law, assist you in preparing these vital advanced directives.