POA
Family Arguments About POA
Many families have disagreements about caregiving and paperwork. If you’re the main caregiver, this can be especially frustrating. If your family has a disagreement over who should be named as an agent on a
power of attorney document, try to keep these things in mind:
- Your care recipient is the decision maker on who their power of attorney is – not you as a caregiver nor the rest of the family. This is an opportunity for your care recipient to take control in their life
- It’s not a decision about picking favorites. Your care recipient is simply choosing a person to uphold their wishes if they are unable to communicate.
- Everyone involved in the conversation should understand the role of a POA agent. Review the responsibilities and limitations of power of attorney.
- Another person separate from the disagreement may step in as a power of attorney. For example, an adult grandchild or a close friend. Sometimes this option can help the person choosing their power of attorney agent feel better about the decision.
- If you can’t resolve the disagreement, you can also look for an opportunity to do elder mediation. Mediation is a process where you can make sure your thoughts and concerns are heard to help resolve the disagreement.
