There are two types of powers of attorney:

A General Power of Attorney is given to someone to make financial decisions on your behalf when you are absent, for example, if you are overseas and need someone else to pay your bills.

An Enduring Power of Attorney is given to someone to make personal/health and/or financial decisions on your behalf, even if you lose the capacity to make decisions for yourself. You may not always be able to make decisions when you need to, for example, you may be too ill to make choices about your medical treatment or where you should have the power to make decisions in your interests and to sign all the necessary legal documents. There are some limitations (discussed below) on the types of decisions your enduring attorney will be able to make for you.