It’s the cycle of life: your parents take care of you when you’re young and then you help to take care of your parents as they get older. But while you knew you needed help as a child, many older adults don’t want or feel that they don’t need anyone taking care of them. But for many elderly, there comes a certain point in their life where they simply aren’t able to handle taking care of themselves all on their own anymore.
So if you’ve noticed that your elderly parent or loved one has been forgetful or neglecting their own health, or has been allowing other people to take advantage of them, it might be time for you to sit down together as discuss them picking someone to be their power of attorney. To assist you in finding the right person for this responsibility, here are three tips for helping your elderly parent decide who should be their power of attorney.
Know The Various Types Of Power Of Attorney
There are quite a few different types of power of attorney that your elderly loved one might need. According to Kristen Hicks, a contributor to APlaceForMom.com, people can have a durable power of attorney, financial power of attorney, medical power of attorney, or a springing power of attorney. Depending on the type of help your loved one is needing, the specific power of attorney they’ll need might vary. Because of this, you’ll want to help your loved one choose someone both who they trust with sensitive information as well as someone who might already have some type of understanding about the topic they’re needing assistance with.
Only Pick Someone Who’s Willing And Able
Because the person who will serve as the power of attorney for your loved one will be making decisions in their behalf, Talk-Early-Talk-Often.com advises that you help your loved one choose someone who will be able to be there for them if there’s ever an emergency. This means that the person chosen as the power of attorney should be both willing and able to be considerably involved in the life and care of your elderly parent.
Choose Someone Who’s Very Organized
As a power of attorney, the person your loved one chooses to make their decisions with and for them will not only have to balance all the details of their own life, but will have to exhibit the same type of care and concern for your elderly parent. Because of this, Eileen Beal, a contributor to NextAvenue.org, suggests that your loved one pick someone who’s very organized and can help keep track of every applicable thing in your loved one’s life, like documents, statements, records, directives, and more. If you and your elderly loved one think it’s time for someone else to assist with their decision making about certain things, consider using the tips mentioned above to guide them in picking the right person for their power of attorney.
