Carrying out Wishes and Handling Affairs After a Cancer Diagnosis

Melissa, here's a really thorough page by the Mayo Clinic's Consumer Health page about Living Wills and Advance directives, including comparisons of the differences between the two (as well as medical power of attorney). It talks about how to choose a decision-maker and on where people can find forms for their own state:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/living-wills/HA00014

In Arizona, here is the Advance Directive Registry web page. It has a section where you can click on Facts, Questions, Talk, Web Site and Forms that might be of help to you (I found a lot of information under Questions):

https://www.azsos.gov/Adv_Dir/

Here's a page that discusses powers of attorney in general; there is a small section on whether to appoint more than one in different areas:

http://www.expertlaw.com/library/estate_planning/power_of_attorney.html

And here's a page from AZLawHelp.org that includes wills, living wills and links to advanced directives and the state's Life Care Planning Packet:

http://www.azlawhelp.org/articles_info.cfm?mc=17&sc=73&articleid=118

I think that the decision as to whether to name different people to be in charge of different things primarily rests with you and the people involved, in terms of what you are comfortable with and what their relationships are to you (and what their expertises are, in some cases). For instance, my mother's will specifies that my sister, who is a nurse, would have her medical power of attorney, and that I would deal with her financial affairs. In reality, my sister and I would consult with one another on everything, but in the case of a disagreement, the wishes are clear. My mom wanted to avoid putting all the responsibility on any one of her children. In the case of a married person, they may choose their spouse to be their representative in all matters, both medically and financially. Same with a child or a single adult whose sole representatives might be their parents.

Has this been of help? May I research something more specifically for you?