YOU’VE ARRIVED! LIFE ALONG THE LAKE

NOW WHAT?

Perhaps this is your first time as a caregiver for a family member, and you do not know where to begin. Perhaps you have done this before. Wherever you are in your own journey, sometimes it helps to refresh what steps to take. Regardless, welcome. Let's get started.

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This is a safe space used to help provide a guideline for beginning your caregiving journey.

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First things first.

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Is the person you are caring for able to decide whom to make their Power of Attorney (POA)?

Do they already have a POA?

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Legally, the first step is to make sure they have a trustworthy and reliable POA. There are strict requirements that must be followed for you or anyone to be a POA. If you feel that you can follow those guidelines and be the best person to represent another human being, then you are ready, my friend.

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The paperwork for POA varies, based on the type of POA your family member prefers. The goal, though, is full power to make decisions for your family member for when they need you the most.

Durable Power of Attorney is considered the straightforward route, across the board. However, POA paperwork can be divided based on financial and medical preferences of the person.

There is also the option to choose to have more than one person represent them and require all persons to agree before anything can be done. There is also the option to have one primary person listed, followed by a back-up, secondary person also listed after the primary. This option allows the primary to have someone to step up if something happens that prevents them from being able to act as POA for any reason. This set up provides a safety net for the person needing care.

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If the person for whom you are a caregiver can no longer make decisions for him or herself and is unable to understand information and can no longer write their name, they will not be able to choose anyone for a POA. At this point, if they never designated and notarized POA paperwork, it is a legal obligation to go through the court system for Legal Guardianship. At this stage, for all decisions that will need to be made on their behalf, they need someone else to make the best decisions for them. They just can no longer do that themselves. If you feel that you are the best person to care for that individual, then go to your local municipality court house, typically your county courthouse, and begin the paperwork to become their Legal Guardian.

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The goal for all of this is to make everything going forward easier for you, as a caregiver, and for your family member who needs assistance. This paperwork, whether it is a POA or Legal Guardianship, is to show proof that you are supposed to be the person for everyone else to go to for everything regarding your loved one. You will need to carry an original copy with you to all medical appointments, procedures, surgeries, prescription runs, banking activity, bill paying, and financial decisions.

I found it very helpful to have a scanned copy saved to my computer and phone to send immediately whenever it was needed to show proof that, yes, I am supposed to be doing these actions and making these decisions for my family member.

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Where do you find these forms? You can find these forms for the State of Ohio by clicking on the Forms link. If you know or have a lawyer whose services you use regularly, you can ask them. They can easily fill in and print out copies for you to sign. If your loved one has their own lawyer, it is common practice for the lawyer to keep an original, signed, and notarized copy of the papers for future use. These papers can also be printed and filled in at home; however, you do need to wait to sign them until you are in front of a public notary. For this paperwork to be legal and valid, you do need to be witnessed signing them with the individual for whom you are a caregiver.

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