A durable power of attorney for health care (HPOA), also known as a health-care proxy, enables you to appoint a representative to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to do so yourself. You can appoint anyone to be your agent as long as the individual is of legal age (usually 18 or older), and you can decide how much power your representative will have. An HPOA should be HIPAA compliant so your representative can access your private medical information.