So aunt has been settled at the NH over the past few weeks and we are still trying to get all her affairs in order and her apartment cleaned out. We have been trying to visit 1-2 times per week as to not overwhelm her but she still doesn’t recognize us or much of anyone. We got a phone today that she had a fever this AM of 100.9 and her temp is normally much lower. Of course we are now worried she may be getting another UTI, which is what ended her there in the first place. The nurses didn’t seem overly concerned about it but did indicate they did a Covid test which was negative and ordered a battery of other tests and will call us with the results. The last UTI landed her in the hospital for over a week. This all is so overwhelming especially since we do not have POA…….
You've probably already taken care of this, but my BIL went into an assisted living facility and was told the house doctor did not take his insurance. So if you don't know, management or the intake staff can probably help you.
IMPORTANT: If your aunt is mentally competent and she is willing to name agents for medical and financial POAs, have her do this as soon as she's feeling normal. In general, durable POAs are preferable to what are called springing POAs.
In fact, she should have a complete estate plan, which would include a will, what is called a living will or advanced directive, HIPAA forms, and any necessary trusts. (You only need a trust when there's a reason. Not everyone needs a trust.) She should also make sure that if she has any pay on death or transfer on death accounts she's named beneficiaries and successor beneficiaries.
If she does have a complete estate plan, the executor and/or trustee should know where the documents are. If she's put her will or any other estate documents in a safe deposit box, she should make sure at least one other person has access to the box.
If she doesn't have a complete estate plan, look for a qualified estate planning attorney/elder law attorney. If Medicaid is in her future, consider consulting an attorney well versed in Medicaid in the state where your aunt is living. Obviously, look for an attorney who will come to the NH.
Your aunt should meet with the attorney herself. You should never meet with an attorney without her or even be in the room with her. This helps to avoid any challenges based on undue influence.
Now, everything above changes if your aunt is not competent. State laws differ, but in general the competency standards for making a will are rather low. In contrast, POAs usually have higher standards. At that point, you are looking at guardianship/conservatorship, and an attorney can help with that too.
I hope your aunt feels better soon and that everything works out with the NH.
Someone is going to need to address the POA issue of course. You do not say whethr or not there is dementia. If there is not, Aunt can appoint the most willing/capable family member, if there is one. If not, the NH will eventually contact next of kin as regards some temporary guardianship.
If there is a history of UTI be certain they know this and request she be checked for same. That's the best you could do with this even if aunt were at home.
Good luck.
The NH did mention that someone would probably contacting us in the near future for additional information. Just seems like nothing moves quickly
The good news is that the NH is checking on her, responding to her condition and communicating with you. I am not sure what you feel a POA would do differently?
Does the fever make her feel unwell? 100.9 is barely an elevation. Of course, not everyone is the same.
If it is a reoccurring UTI they will have caught it much sooner than the last time. Some people seem to have them more frequently than others.
Hoping that the outstanding test results will relieve any anxiety you may be having.
Has there been any talk about bringing in Hospice?
At some point, I realized that these trips to the hospital to treat UTIs were going to kill my mother. We agreed to do "palliative care"--the NH treated everything "in-house".