Do you currently provide care for an elderly parent? If so, you’re not alone.
More than 65 million people in the United States currently act as a caregiver, and many of these people are caring for elderly parents or loved ones.
As a caregiver, you have to make a lot of hard decisions, including deciding when it’s time to seek medical power of attorney for your parent.
Are you unsure of whether or not it’s time to seek power of attorney? Do you need help navigating the process? If so, keep reading.
Explained below is everything you need to know about a medical power of attorney, including signs that indicate it’s time for you to obtain it.
What Is Medical Power of Attorney?
Put simply, a medical power of attorney is a legal document. It names a specific individual — you, in this case — as the health care agent for someone else — your parent.
Once you’ve obtained power of attorney, as the health care agent, you are legally allowed to make health care decisions for your parent.
This might include making the decision to bring in a home health aide to provide additional care for your parent or making arrangements for them to transition to an assisted living facility.
As the health care agent, it is also your responsibility to make sure that health care providers and providing your parent with necessary and appropriate care that aligns with their wishes. This includes carrying out their wishes for end-of-life care.
Reasons to Seek Medical Power of Attorney
There are a number of reasons why you, as a caregiver, might want to seek medical power of attorney for your parent. Some primary reasons include:
- Make decisions on your parent’s behalf when they’re no longer of sound mind
- Ensure your parent receives the treatment they need to enjoy a high quality of life as they get older
- Ensure your parent’s wishes are carried out even if they’re not able to voice them
When you seek power of attorney, you also have an opportunity to wear what your parent’s wishes truly are.
Many adults who act as caregivers to their parents don’t really know much about their parent’s long-term wishes or plans. This puts them in a difficult situation if their parent’s health gets worse.
If they don’t have access to their parent’s wishes, they have to guess and make decisions based merely on what they think their parent wants or what doctors say is the best approach.
Signs It’s Time to Seek Medical Power of Attorney
It’s not easy to talk to your parent about obtaining a medical power of attorney.
It’s awkward to discuss the future and address the fact that, at some point in the future, your parent may require more care than you can provide on your own. But, it’s still an important conversation to have.
Here are some signs that indicate it’s time to take a deep breath and talk to your parents about becoming their health care agent:
- Your parent has recently had a serious health scare — such as a fall, a stroke, a heart attack, or another emergency scenario
- Your parent is beginning to show early signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
- Your parent is suffering from a chronic illness and their symptoms are getting worse
- You want to protect your parent from the influence of others who may not have their best interests in mind
This last point is especially important. As your parent gets older, they may have many people caring for them and making suggestions about how they should handle their healthcare.
If you’re worried that someone else in your parent’s life — a family member, friend, etc. — may have questionable intentions, obtaining power of attorney can help you ensure that you are the only one who can make important decisions about your parent’s health care.
How to Obtain Medical Power of Attorney
If your parent is getting older and struggling with their health, you may want to obtain a medical power of attorney for them.
If you’re considering taking this approach, these are the steps you’ll need to follow:
- Learn the laws for medical power of attorney in your parent’s state
- Visit a lawyer to have the necessary documents prepared
- Take the forms to your parents and explain what they are
- Ask your parents to sign and fill out the forms
- Meet with your parent and a notary public (make sure your parent has proper identification)
- Ask your parent to sign and date the forms in front to notary. You’ll then sign the forms yourself and the notary will notarize the signatures
After this, you’ll just need to copy the forms and deliver them to your attorney.
Convincing Your Parent to Make You Their Agent
As you can see, the process of becoming your parent’s health care agent is pretty straight forward.
Convincing them that they need a medical power of attorney — and that they ought to make you the agent — is a different story, though.
If you’re not sure how to convince your parent to make you their health care agent, here are some tips that can help:
- Explain the benefits of appointing a health care agent now, while they’re of sound mind
- Explain why you want to be their health care agent
- Ask for additional support from family members
It can also be helpful to ask for support from an outside party, such as a spiritual leader or even an elder care mediator. Your parents might be more willing to listen to someone who’s not part of the family.
Do You Need to Obtain Power of Attorney?
Now that you know more about what medical power of attorney is and why you might want to obtain it for your parent, do you think it’s something you need to start seeking?
A medical power of attorney allows you to make important decisions about your parent’s health and well-being, including the decision of whether or not your parent requires in-home care.
If you’re ready to make arrangements for in-home care for your parent, contact us at Families Choice Home Care today.
Whether you want to learn more about our services or request an assessment, we can help you to ensure your parent gets the care they need.
