Caring.com

Caring for an Aging Loved One?
We're here to help.

Caring.com exists to help family caregivers like you make better decisions, save time and money and feel less alone.

Learn more - Caring for an Aging Loved One

Caring.com

A Guide to Power of Attorney for Elderly Parents

A power of attorney (POA) can be an important element of planning for your elderly parent’s future. It allows another person to take action on your parent’s behalf, ensuring bills get paid and medical decisions can be made in the unfortunate circumstance that your elderly parent is unable to do those things on their own or merely needs help with such tasks. Christina Jeter, Esq., of The Jeter Law Firm, PLLC, advises, “It always makes sense to have a power of attorney in place, regardless of any situation. It is better to be prepared than to have to scramble to think of what an elderly parent would really want.”

Arranging a power of attorney for your parent is a good way to open up a discussion with them about their wishes and needs for the future. Jeter continues, “Having those respective POAs in place means that an elderly parent has had time to think about what they really want for their medical care and their finances when they aren’t coherent to make such decisions.”

With a power of attorney in place, you can be confident that you’re prepared and your parent’s wishes will be respected when they need help. In this guide, we’ll explain the types of power of attorney, when a POA for an elderly parent makes sense, and go through the steps of choosing and setting up a power of attorney so that you feel prepared to complete this process for your loved one.

Learn more - A Guide to Power of Attorney for Elderly Parents