Hi – I’m a long time lurker here and would be grateful for some advice.
I have an elderly family friend who I call or visit when I’m in my hometown. She has no children. She is still competent. She appointed two nephews as Power of Attorney. One died, and life has been very unkind to the other in recent years, to the point that he’s now struggling with mental health issues. He can barely manage his own affairs and is in no position to manage hers. Sadly his situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon.
I have encouraged her to select one or two other people and get a new Power of Attorney document prepared. She has not taken any action. She seems paralyzed in indecision. My sense is that she sees her remaining relatives as too busy, living too far away, not sufficiently responsible, or they’re relatives she’s not that close to so she doesn’t feel comfortable asking. I am not able and willing to be POA myself.
I do not know the family dynamics, but I suspect it’s not a close-knit group. I don’t even know how many nieces and nephews she has. I don’t know whether any are sufficiently knowledgeable to realize the potential downsides of her current POA situation.
The question: I know the names of a couple of her relatives and could probably find contact information for one of them. Should I be alerting them that she probably isn’t going to appoint another POA without some assistance? Or should I stay out of it?
I have an elderly family friend who I call or visit when I’m in my hometown. She has no children. She is still competent. She appointed two nephews as Power of Attorney. One died, and life has been very unkind to the other in recent years, to the point that he’s now struggling with mental health issues. He can barely manage his own affairs and is in no position to manage hers. Sadly his situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon.
I have encouraged her to select one or two other people and get a new Power of Attorney document prepared. She has not taken any action. She seems paralyzed in indecision. My sense is that she sees her remaining relatives as too busy, living too far away, not sufficiently responsible, or they’re relatives she’s not that close to so she doesn’t feel comfortable asking. I am not able and willing to be POA myself.
I do not know the family dynamics, but I suspect it’s not a close-knit group. I don’t even know how many nieces and nephews she has. I don’t know whether any are sufficiently knowledgeable to realize the potential downsides of her current POA situation.
The question: I know the names of a couple of her relatives and could probably find contact information for one of them. Should I be alerting them that she probably isn’t going to appoint another POA without some assistance? Or should I stay out of it?