Question from Caring.com Community Member, kayjo
What is the difference between a "durable power of attorney" and "general power of attorney?"
Expert Answer by Barbara Kate Repa
Barbara Repa, a Caring.com senior editor, is an attorney, a journalist specializing in aging issues, and the author of WillMaker, software enabling consumers to write their own wills, health care directives, powers of attorney, and final arrangements.
The biggest difference is in when the power ends.
A general power of attorney ends when a person becomes mentally incapable because of sickness or injury to handle his or her own affairs.
A durable power of attorney does not end in these circumstances. It is, in a word: durable. To get a durable power of attorney, you must show in the document your intention that the powers will continue despite incapacity.
