My mother has Parkinson’s and dementia. During a recent hospitalization Dr.’s filled out a form declaring her incompetent and medical decisions fell to POA (my sister). Is this entirely separate from activating the financial POA? It seems to me that if a person can’t make their own medical decisions they certainly can’t make financial ones. Is there a formal procedure for this, like filing somewhere? We are about to sell my mom's house and I am wondering how we handle that. Does she sign papers or POA?
I would say that the doctors letter would include her financial too.
If your mother created these with the help of a family lawyer, I'd give the lawyer a quick call and ask what to do.
If you can't do that, go online and look up something like "DPOA registration requirements in [your state]."
If you're not sure what sort of financial POA you have, read through the document itself carefully and see if it gives you any guidance.