There are basically two types of powers of attorney: general and special.
The general power of attorney is used to authorize a person to act instead of another person in all matters that one could do. It is usually given to a person who is, for some reason, unable to or not in the position to act in a certain matter. A general power of attorney is also called durable power of attorney.
The special power of attorney is a document in which one authorizes another person, who is called an attorney in the law, to act on behalf of the principal under certain circumstances or in certain cases.
In summary, the difference is in the scope of the two document, namely that it is granted generally to cover every aspect of one's life or only a specific aspect.
