This week we are going to discuss how a power of attorney goes into effect. A power of attorney is a legal document that gives someone else the authority to make decisions on your behalf. But before that power of attorney goes into effect, certain conditions must be met. Let’s get into it…
How does a healthcare power of attorney go into effect?
A healthcare power of attorney is a legal document that allows one person, such as a spouse or adult child, to make decisions on behalf of another person who can’t make decisions for themselves due to illness or disability. A healthcare power of attorney takes effect if you are unable to make decisions for yourself or communicate those decisions to your doctors.
For example, if you are in a coma, then you are unable to make decisions. If you have a healthcare power of attorney it will go into effect. This means that your designated healthcare agent can make decisions on your behalf. They will have to follow the instructions that are set out in the power of attorney document. An attorney can help you write out the details of your healthcare power of attorney so that your wishes are clear.
To illustrate another example, let’s say you have an injury that requires your jaw to be wired shut and both of your arms are broken. It’s going to be very difficult for you to communicate your decisions. While the doctors are going to consult with you as much as possible, having a healthcare agent helps to make sure that your wishes are communicated properly. In short, a healthcare power of attorney can help effectively communicate your medical preferences when you are unable to do so.
How does a durable power of attorney over finances go into effect?
Your other power of attorney is your durable power of attorney over your finances. For financial matters, there are two times when a power of attorney can become effective. The first is the immediate power of attorney, the second is the “springing” power of attorney.
The immediate power of attorney
An immediate power of attorney is exactly what it sounds like. It takes effect immediately after you sign it. If you signed your power of attorney and then asked your attorney-in-fact to go open a bank account for you, they would have the power to do that.
A springing power of attorney goes into effect at an event
The “springing” power of attorney
The other option is a springing power of attorney. We say it “springs” to life when you become incapacitated. You may also choose any date or other event that will bring it into effect, but you must clearly state that date or event in the document.
For example, your primary care physician or two other doctors must say you were unable to make decisions for yourself before a power of attorney becomes effective. However, there are multiple ways that this could be written into your documents. Ask a qualified attorney to help you determine the conditions for the power of attorney to become effective.
Don’t overthink how your power of attorney goes into effect
There are no wrong answers for when to have your power of attorney take effect. However, who you choose as your agent is more important. I encourage you to read our blog posts about who to appoint as your financial power of attorney and healthcare power of attorney. Choosing a proper agent is the most important aspect of a well-thought-out power of attorney.
In fact, the person that you appoint should follow the same guidelines, regardless of whether you have an immediate or springing power of attorney. However, some people do not want to have anyone else able to act for them while they are able to act. That is perfectly okay. For other people, it’s more convenient to have something immediately available. Again, there’s no wrong answer.
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Your medical power of attorney, also known as your healthcare power of attorney (HPOA), should name somebody who is accessible in an emergency. This is someone who will naturally be right by your side or someone who will be available by cell phone. This person is known as your “agent” for healthcare decisions.
Who is the best person for the job?
The ideal candidate for a healthcare agent is someone who can meet these basic qualifications:
You trust their judgment
It’s good to have somebody who is already in a position of making decisions with you and for you. Someone who you would trust to help you in carrying out the decisions that you have made. They also need to be able to take the information you have provided them and apply it to a different situation.
They can handle stress in an emergency
All medical emergencies are stressful. Pick an agent who has a history of making logical decisions at difficult times.
The agent will honor your values regarding medical decisions or end-of-life care
The agent you choose should be someone who knows you very well. You have discussed your values, goals, and preferences. Make sure your agent is someone who will act as your spokesperson and advocate.
You feel comfortable speaking to them about your death, dying, or care during incapacitation
In order to have a good healthcare agent, make sure that you are both comfortable discussing your values around death and dying. This is a serious topic that deserves a well-thought-out conversation. Be prepared to discuss what quality of life you want to have and what types of treatments you would want to have to maintain it. The more you speak together about your feelings towards death, dying, and treatments if incapacitated, the better your agent will be.
They will be available at any time
A good healthcare agent is someone who is going to be available when you need them. There’s no way for you to know when you will need your healthcare power of attorney. You need a reliable person who will answer the phone or make a return call as soon as they get the message that they are needed to make healthcare decisions for you.
Someone who lives nearby
Oftentimes it’s a good idea to choose an agent who lives close by. While not completely necessary, it is better to have an agent who will naturally come to the hospital to be with you during an emergency.
Someone who is younger than you
While not necessary, it is often very useful to have an agent who will likely outlive you.
Choose someone who can be your proxy for medical decisions.
In conclusion
Again, your healthcare agent should be someone who is easily accessible. Someone that you feel comfortable discussing your wishes with, even though they may be uncomfortable topics, and someone who respects your choices and would help you carry them out. Most people pick their spouse or adult child to be their healthcare agent. However, if you have a medical professional in your family, that person may be a good choice depending on their relationship with you. Ultimately it is up to you to choose someone you are comfortable with making these types of medical decisions.
Why do you need a healthcare power of attorney?
While not all healthcare power of attorneys ever go into effect, it is important to have one in the case of an emergency. You never know when you will be unable to make decisions or communicate your decisions for yourself. If you need help with creating a healthcare power of attorney, medical directive, or other documents that formulate a well-thought-out estate plan, consider scheduling an initial call with us.
There are many ways that seniors are preyed upon by scammers. Some ways are more common than others. In each instance, a scammer seeks to gain control of the elderly person’s finances or property for their own benefit. However, in order to stop fraud, it’s important to know the specifics. The following post will discuss how to help your aging parents avoid scams and fraud.
Educate Seniors About Suspicious Phone Calls
Swindlers often cold-call seniors to get personal information. Here are a few common phone scams you can look out for:
Sweepstakes scams
Inform your elder to be suspicious of phone calls stating that they have “won” a sweepstakes. These scams will try to get the senior to provide bank account information for direct deposit. They may also try to convince the senior to send a check to pay for the taxes on their “winnings”.
Grandchild scams
In this scam, an elder will receive a call from someone stating that they are a grandchild who is in trouble and in need of help. When the senior answers the phone they will hear something like this: “Grandma, it’s me… please don’t tell my parents.” The caller will then claim they are out of town and need to be wired money to make bail or to pay for travel expenses. Have a discussion with your loved ones about what to do if they receive a phone call like this. Many families create a “code word” for everyone to use. If the scammer doesn’t know the code word, then they are not who they say they are. A code word is a quick and effective way to vet emergency phone calls.
Voter registration scams
The voter registration scam is when someone calls about registering the elder to vote, asking for their address, birthday, Social Security Number, or a password or PIN code.
Healthcare scams
An elder may get a call offering discounts on health insurance or a call from someone claiming they work for the government and need a Medicare number or Social Security Number to issue a new card.
How to Help Seniors Avoid Being Scammed on the Telephone
We cannot stress how important it is to encourage seniors to never give out their personal information to strangersover the phone. Even if the people on the phone are claiming to be friends or loved ones!This is one of the best ways you can help your seniors avoid getting scammed. If your loved one is getting an exorbitant amount of phone calls from people they don’t know, consider asking them if you can change the settings on their phone to only allow notifications from numbers already found in their contacts.
If you suspect your aging parent has already been a victim of a fraud crime, report it to the National Elder Fraud Hotline 833–FRAUD–11. This hotline is a free resource created by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office for Victims of Crime for people to report fraud against anyone age 60 or older.
Help Aging Parents Avoid Scams by Talking Openly About Finances
Ask your aging parents if they would consider allowing you to join them on their next visit to financial advisors, accountants, attorneys, and other important service providers. If you are welcome to join them, you will have a unique opportunity to prove to the providers your relationship and good intentions towards the senior. If the service provider believes that you have the senior’s best interest at heart, they may contact you when and if they believe something suspicious is going on with your loved one’s accounts.
We must warn you that becoming too involved in a loved one’s financial life may create the appearance of undue influence. It is important to help keep loved ones from being exploited, but you also don’t want to find yourself the subject of a lawsuit claiming that you are the one committing financial exploitation. Please be careful in how you approach discussing finances with the seniors in your life.
Stay Up to Date on Changes Made to Their Estate Plan
Check to see if a non-relative has been included as a representative or beneficiary, or if any relatives have been cut out of the estate plan since the last time you reviewed it. There may be perfectly reasonable explanations for these changes. However, they could also indicate that someone is trying to manipulate your loved one.
Ask Your Senior About Caretakers or Sudden “Best Friends“
Has a non-relative, long-time friend, or neighbor started spending a lot of time with your loved one? Do they suddenly have a new “best friend” or someone who takes care of them at home?
These developments could be a sign that someone is trying to work their way into an elder’s life in order to exploit them, financially or otherwise. It might seem innocent enough (and even generous!) for a new friend to “hang out” with an elder and take care of their medical and financial needs. But because of the potential for abuse, we recommend hiring caregivers through a reputable agency. Obtain reviews and make sure they have the proper licensure and training.
Making new friends and meeting people is fine, and even encouraged to minimize the isolation that many older adults face. However, it’s important to communicate with your loved ones to make sure they are not giving un-vetted people undue control over their life.
Investigate Sudden Missing Items or Extravagant New Purchases
It is important to talk with your elderly loved ones about finances so that, if they consent, you can regularly review their statements and stay up to date on other financial developments. One easy way to do this is to have the senior grant you view-only access to their bank accounts. You may also consider a paid subscription monitoring app such as EverSafe or LifeLock. These companies provide constant monitoring for any unusual activity on the accounts. This makes preventing suspicious transactions much easier.
Make sure to ask questions about weird financial transactions. Have there been any large cash transfers? Vehicles suddenly missing or new ones showing up unexpectedly? Heirloom household items that have disappeared? Fancy or expensive new gadgets showing up that are out of character for your loved one to buy? This can indicate that someone has convinced the elder to give them assets or that they have duped the elder into buying something they don’t need.
Recruit Friends, Family, Social Groups, and Neighbors to Keep a Watchful Eye on Your Senior
Keep an open dialogue with neighbors, friends, and advisors who are connected with your aging loved ones. The more people you have looking out, the less likely it is that someone can take advantage of them without your knowledge. Elder abuse is less likely when a senior has a variety of people checking in on them.
A Strong Estate Plan Can Help Aging Parents Avoid Scams
Finally, encourage your aging parents to meet privately with an experienced Elder Law Attorney to determine what they can do to protect themselves from bad actors. Having a legal document in place naming a trusted advisor, or agent, to help handle finances can protect them. An experienced Elder Law Attorney also knows what questions to ask and the warning signs to look for in suspected elder exploitation.
Other Ways You Can Help Aging Parents Avoid Scams
The main point you should take away is that it’s important to have an open dialogue with your aging parents about the variety of scam tactics out there. Send your loved ones this article about how to protect themselves. It has a lot of great tips that can be implemented right away.
Do you want help creating a Financial Power of Attorney or other legal support? Give us a call. You can schedule your free 15-minute Initial Call online. It’s easy! We are here to help.
Elder fraud and financial exploitation have become an epidemic. As a Nashville elder law attorney, I am seeing more than ever before, con artists and family members alike taking advantage of their elderly relatives, friends, or neighbors. The numbers have only gotten worse with the Covid-19 pandemic and a larger aging population.
The best defense against elder fraud is having caring friends or family with the senior’s best interests at heart. But those friends and family can only prevent elder fraud if they know how to spot it.
What is Elder Fraud?
Broadly defined, elder fraud is when someone improperly (or illegally) uses or steals a vulnerable senior’s assets. Every state has a different definition of “elder fraud” or “financial exploitation” of an elderly person. In Tennessee, financial exploitation of elders or other vulnerable adults can be prosecuted under criminal and civil laws. Edler fraud is a form of Elder Abuse.
The 3 Common Financial Scams that Victimize Seniors
A recent survey identified the three most common scenarios of financial exploitation:
Theft or diversion of funds or property by family members.
Diversion of funds or property by caregivers.
Financial scams perpetrated by strangers.
In the two most common scenarios of financial exploitation, the fraud is committed by someone who knows the elderly person. Most people think of fraud as emails from Nigerian princes or telephone scams. In reality, however, financial exploitation is commonly perpetrated by family and friends.
Another common misconception is that adults are only susceptible to elder fraud if they have a condition that can affect memory and reasoning skills. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 15-20% of elders 65 and older have some type of mild cognitive impairment. But it is important to recognize that any senior can fall victim to elder fraud, and many do.
How Can I Help a Senior Avoid Being Scammed?
There are a number of things you can do to help prevent your loved one from being taken advantage of. Start by educating them on the tell-tale signs of elder fraud and how to protect themselves.
Most importantly, if you are concerned that a loved one is being targeted by a financial predator or a loved one with bad intentions, you should seek help as soon as possible. That may mean calling the police, your loved one’s attorney, and in some cases, even the FBI.
As an Elder Law Attorney in Nashville, I am here to guide you through any of the issues that you may be facing. To schedule an appointment, simply call schedule a free 15-minute Initial Call and we’ll see if we can provide you with some guidance on what to do to help you avoid common scams that victimize seniors.
Working with a will lawyer in Nashville can bring up some uncomfortable feelings. Those of us in this area of law are very aware of the fact that many people avoid important planning for this very reason. After all, there aren’t a whole lot of people who want to contemplate their own demise, let alone the feelings of those left behind.
Writing Your Obituary Can be a Positive Experience
Writing your own obituary can actually be kind of a cathartic experience that helps with the estate planning process. It gives you an opportunity to reflect on your own life, as well as to help shape how you will be remembered. It also takes some of the burden off of those who are left behind that might not be up to writing such an intense piece in the middle of grieving. You can write your obituary and have your will lawyer in Nashville keep it in your file so that it is ready to go when it is needed.
What to Includein Your Obituary
You don’t necessarily have to write a full obituary, but it’s a good idea to at least make a list of some key points to make it easier on the person who does the actual writing later. The guidelines for obituaries vary depending on where they will be published. Many funeral homes will place them on their web sites free of charge, but newspapers will charge to publish them. A will lawyer in Nashville will be able to tell you what local outlets expect when it comes to length and cost.
Some of the things that you may want to include are:
Date and place of birth
Education and employment background
Military service
Achievements and awards
Family information regarding children, grandchildren, spouses, and parents
Hobbies and interests
A photo you would like used
Include Notes About Your Memorial Serice
In addition, you may want to include your wishes regarding memorials. If you’d like flowers sent to the church or funeral home, for instance, you can include that. It’s also common for people to request that donations be made to a favorite charity “in lieu of flowers.”
Have Others Proof-Read Your Obituary – Make Sure to Update it!
Again, you may prefer not to write the entire obituary yourself, rather you may choose to just include this information in your documents so that your family and friends have it to refer to when they create the obituary after your death. If you do choose to write your own, you may want to review it with your loved ones every once in a while to ensure that it is kept up to date and reflects any recent changes.
Further Estate Planning Exercises
If you’re new to the concept of Estate Planning and would like more information about the process, consider giving us a call. We offer a free 15-minute call that goes over the process. We’re here to answer your questions! While the call does not go over any legal advice, it does allow us to see if we are the right fit for each other.
Liked this exercise? Consider giving our Virtual Estate Plan Challenge a try! With this seven-email series, we go over the decisions you will need to make before having your will created with an Attorney.