How to get temporary Power of Attorney over mother who is in ICU in the hospital?
MOTHER HAD CAR ACCIDENT AND IS IN ICU IN THE HOSPITAL, NEED TO FIND OUT HOW TO GET TEMPORARY POWER OF ATTORNEY SO I CAN PAY HER BILLS, I AM HER NEXT OF KIN AND NEED TO BE THE ONE WHO CAN SAY WHAT CAN AND CANT BE DONE TO MOM WHILE SHE IS THE HOSPITAL
An accident to a parent can be very hard. I send my sympathy and hope you have supportive friends and family around you also.
About paying the bills: If you sign a check and are not a signor I believe it is not legal. I also think that if it is accepted by the bank and payment is made to the entity it was assigned to, then it remains a paid bill.
Did she pay any of her bills online? Any automatic deductions? Please look to see if she has a bank statement filed where you can check to see what the transactions have been.
During a time of stress as you are experiencing, first check with the hospital as they do have good services available to people such as yourself that will aid you in getting the decisions in place for your mother that you know are important. They should also be able to get you help in finding out how to set up a power of attorney.
It is possible a judge has to hear the details and can grant it, but documentation needs to be in place. Then you can fax the legal document to the credit card companies or whatever bill company is involved and they will listen to YOU instead of repeating they can only deal with your mother. This will allow you to sign checks by writing your mother's name with your name over it with "POA" written after it. If you get the power of attorney, be sure to go to her bank branch where she has the account set up and give them a copy of the power of attorney so they are aquainted with you and the situation. Banks are very professional and will safeguard their customers very strongly, and they will be your ally during this time when you need strength. They may also offer suggestions that will assist you further. Seems strange to say a bank will be your friend, but they are run by people who are very savvy and want to engender good customer relations!
I send my supportive encouragement: Just start asking for assistance and within a couple of people you will start getting a direction you can follow. It will work.
Speak to the hospital social workers about speaking on behalf of your mother while in the hospital and for her followup medical care moving forward.
In terms of paying bills, I just wrote out the checks and paid moms bills. I signed my name and had no problem. Perhaps you can document for your records should you ever need to prove anything, when mom went into hospital and then keep copies of all the checks you paid bills with for her.
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About paying the bills: If you sign a check and are not a signor I believe it is not legal. I also think that if it is accepted by the bank and payment is made to the entity it was assigned to, then it remains a paid bill.
Did she pay any of her bills online? Any automatic deductions? Please look to see if she has a bank statement filed where you can check to see what the transactions have been.
During a time of stress as you are experiencing, first check with the hospital as they do have good services available to people such as yourself that will aid you in getting the decisions in place for your mother that you know are important. They should also be able to get you help in finding out how to set up a power of attorney.
It is possible a judge has to hear the details and can grant it, but documentation needs to be in place. Then you can fax the legal document to the credit card companies or whatever bill company is involved and they will listen to YOU instead of repeating they can only deal with your mother. This will allow you to sign checks by writing your mother's name with your name over it with "POA" written after it. If you get the power of attorney, be sure to go to her bank branch where she has the account set up and give them a copy of the power of attorney so they are aquainted with you and the situation. Banks are very professional and will safeguard their customers very strongly, and they will be your ally during this time when you need strength. They may also offer suggestions that will assist you further. Seems strange to say a bank will be your friend, but they are run by people who are very savvy and want to engender good customer relations!
I send my supportive encouragement: Just start asking for assistance and within a couple of people you will start getting a direction you can follow. It will work.
In terms of paying bills, I just wrote out the checks and paid moms bills. I signed my name and had no problem. Perhaps you can document for your records should you ever need to prove anything, when mom went into hospital and then keep copies of all the checks you paid bills with for her.
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