How do I fill out Power of Attorney for my mom if she is in the intensive care unit in the hospital?

This was a frequent problem for me when I worked at a local hospital. I would get calls to the ICU to notarize all manner of documents for people who were in no condition to be making decisions. It would be very frustrating to family members when I had to refuse notary services for patients who were neither alert nor oriented or were on psychotropic or narcotic medications. That is why these decisions have to be made early, before it's an emergency, when people are rational and stable physically and emotionally.

Some hospitals have health care proxies that your mother (if she's competent) could sign before a staff member and those may not require a notary seal. If you do need to get DPOA, as mentioned above some hospitals do have staff on call that could help....or if you know someone that is a notary, they can come notorize the DPOA....you can find state-specific forms online. It may not be necessary to have them witnessed (for example, TN no longer requires witnesses...a notary seal is all that is needed). Best of luck with your mother.

As mentioned previously she must be able to understand the ramafications of what she is signing (DPOA). I would recommend that you ask her doctor to make an entry in her record as to her competency.

Hospitals have notaries on staff who have jobs there who could do that if she is alert she could sign her name and if she is not the above answer should be a help to you,

Hello: My Mom also ended up in ICU after wrecking her car. She was cursing at the doctors and nurses and kept trying to pull her bandages off. She had to be restrained with 8 restraints and she probably only weighs 110 pounds! The doctor and I just kind of looked at each other and I said I can't take her home like that. The doctor wanted some baseline information and after I told him all the dementia-related behaviors she had exhibited at my home, I was able to take his exam results to court and was made guardian of person only. But there would have been no way she would have been able to sign any kind of documents due to the injury and not wanting to sign anything because she was suspicious of anything like that. She has no idea I'm the guardian to this day.

I'm sorry to hear about your mom, but she must be healthy enough to and competent enough to sign a durable and medical POA along with it being notarized as well as witnessed. An atty can write one up, but some print them off of the internet.