My dad's home needs repairs. I have POA for dad. Do I just go ahead and hire people to do this work over his objections?

I'm sorry this is happening. It sounds like you've done a great job for your dad. I just went through something similar with my dad who always took pride in doing things himself. In my opinion, yes, find a service to do the needed work. It sounds like things may become a safety issue, so I don't think you're over-reacting. I worried about that with my dad, but I did research and found a service. I gave them very specific instructions about what to do, which trees to prune, how far to trim bushes, and told them what to leave alone. I scheduled a date and didn't tell my dad until a few hours before the service. I told dad that I couldn't do it myself this time, so I found a friend who has a service and is going to be arriving shortly to do it. I explained he didn't have to do one thing, just let my "friends" handle it all. I think he was so tired, he didn't argue. Afterward he said they did a great job and he wants to schedule them again in the Spring. I was relieved. It's difficult to step in like that though, but it seems like you are putting a lot of thought into it, so I am sure you will arrive at a great solution. All the best to you and your dear dad.

Yes Janey, please let us know how it turns out. I learned to no try and convince Dad or get his approval to get stuff done. He would never agree to the simplest things or would say I BEEN MEANING TO FIX THAT.........

It was the same getting him to eat. If you ask him if he wanted a plate of food NO IM FINE......You just hand him the plate and he would eat.

My dad usually caved in pretty quickly when workers showed up.  I would always call ahead, explain we had some dementia going on and tell the guys just to follow my lead.  They were always great. 

 Damnedest  thing how every tradesman was an old football buddy of mine and all mom’s aides and nurses were old girlfriends.  

My dad was also the I CAN FIX ANYTHING GUY, and he could until Dementia. At some point you cant be a slave to his dementia and bad judgement any longer.

And I also got tired of trying to keep up with a falling down house and 5 acres of brush and dead trees. I started hiring  people to just do the most basic stuff: No falling trees on the house, running water, heat and a/c. Etc.

I used to Fib, lie, cheat and trick my dad to get basic stuff done. THAT GUYS AN OLD BUDDY. CARPET CLEANING WAS FREE!  Or another method DONT WORRY DAD, YOUR INSURANCE WILL COVER IT!  

And you can also try and get him off the property to get the tree work done. Just do the minimum to keep the house safe.

My dad would catch on once in awhile, throw a hissy, but he’d forget by the next day.

Using your poa is a judgement call. I always used my parents money, not mine for their house stuff, and I’m inclined to tell you to do likewise, But if this could go nuclear on you..........Well, proceed with a good plan.

Thank you for your support! Great advice and I am going to take it. I don't know why I mentioned the POA because it really doesn't apply here. Dad created a Children's Trust a couple years ago and made me the executor. I use the money to pay his bills and for things for the house so I would use it to pay for any tree trimming/yard work. I just want someone to do the big massive leaf clean up and some of the trees are so high you need a bucket truck to get up to the branches. He has at 15 trees, two 40' blue maples! You can imagine the amount of leaves! Thanks again. I'll report back.

Diana put it succinctly--short and sweet.

YES!!!!!!! Just do it!

Funny story: I have been having work done on our "summer" house (in which we now live permanently) for about two years without ever telling my husband about it. I had the work done while we were in the other house. He has never noticed that the work was done!

So, there's that...

I try to take care of things on the property when Grandma is out. She is always gone Sundays and Tuesdays so I schedule help on those days. She still has her sons convinced that at 90yrs old she cares for 3.5 acres all alone, and that I'm nowhere around, and the "laziest THING" she's ever met. So we tree trim, treat for beetles, weed, clean out the barns, mow and edge the acre of lawn, etc all on those two days of the week so she doesn't get upset. The couple of times I got caught weeding I got scolded profusely. Which she turns around and tells her sons that she had to hire someone to do all the yard work. They of course believe her. Thankfully I have photographic proof of everything we do, but it's a wrestling match every time. So my advice is take video and pictures of everything so that you can establish the safety and care making the things you're doing necessary. Document EVERYTHING. Pray you never need it, but be prepared if you do.

As POA, unless your dad is incompetent, then no, that doesnt give you the right.
But as his daughter and the person who has to take care of him should there be an accident, roof damage, broken hip, etc., he leaves you little choice.
I sold my in laws home a couple of years after they passed. Part of getting the property ready to sell was a complete landscape overhaul. The difference was so dramatic. My husband has said many times how sorry he was that he didnt do that before his parents passed, that his dad would have loved the transformation.
Even if dad gets angry he will no doubt be relieved when it’s done.
Be sure to come back and let us know how it goes.

Yes, just hire the job out and pay with dad’s funds because it’s his house.

After my stepdad died I went to live with my dementia mother. What a mess!!! My stepdad was a builder & created a gorgeous home on three acres next to a pond. He took care of my mom AND the house and yard... gorgeous property in its heyday. When I got there I quickly realized that st ages 73 (me) & 83 (my spouse) we just couldn’t do all that work any more. We evaluated the market for the hOuse and compared it to the cost of repairs and cleanup and projected returns. Properties were just not moving in that area of upstate NY. As my mother’s POA I determined (2 doctors) that she had to go into Alzheimer’s care, so I moved her to Texas where the rest of her family lives. We got our assesed value to sell the house “as is” in just three days! They paid cash and right at the time of terrible flooding near that location! We put the money into a living trust to help pay the bills for her care and some went into investments naming all their children as equal beneficiaries whenMom dies. Sometimes, the costs of repair and remodeling outweigh future returns on a sale. You have to use good sense. Ask yourselves how LONG will they be of right mind before their medical and mental needs strip their assets? What shape will YOU be in to make decisions then? Money in a failing house is wasted...compared to investing the principal and using only the profits. Putting the money in the bank is WORSE than that! It’s a tricky business handling our parents assets when they get Alzheimer’s or one dies who used to do everything for the other parent. Make a chart and compare costs, value, etc. include future old age care costs. Be conservative not sentimental if you can.

Janny, I just recalled from one of your other postings that your daughter, her husband, two very young children but a new baby on the way will be living with Dad. Thus I change my former posting on page 1 to having that scary limb removed IMMEDIATELY from the tree hanging over the house. If that limb had fallen, rehousing 1 person is different than rehousing 6 people, plus the risk of a child getting hurt.