Wild Card Blog Entry
For my last blog entry, I wanted to talk about an issue that I've had personal experience with, Alzheimer's disease. Scientists believe that up to 4.5 million Americans suffer from the disease and I happen to know one man with Alzheimer's that always puts a smile on my face.
My godmother's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about 6 years ago when he was 61 years old. He had had memory loss in the past but there really weren't any red flags until Mr. W went missing one day. He always took a walk around his neighborhood in the afternoons, weather permitting. One day Mr. W's walk was taking far longer than usual and Mrs. W began calling every relative asking if anyone had heard from him.
I'm sure stories like these are familiar to a lot of people. The elderly relative or friend that just wanders off one day, with no explanation. Thankfully, one of Mr. W's neighbors spotted him standing on the sidewalk just looking around. They asked if he was all right and he responded "I'm not sure, do you know how I got here?" The neighbor walked Mr. W back home and explained what happened to Mrs. W.
I'm not sure how long the diagnosis process was for Mr. W but the last time I saw him he seemed completely normal. If I hadn't known about the incident or his diagnosis, I never would have guessed anything was different. I guess Mr. W saw me looking at the laminated information card attached to his cane because he leaned over to me and whispered, "Ya know, the best part about forgetting everything, is that I don't remember I forget!"
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Aging in America Blog #4
Wild Card Blog Entry
This week's assignment really got me thinking and I wanted to blog about the Power of Attorney part of the assignment.
The attorney that I work for every now and then has executed many POAs and as a notary, I have actually been in the room when he explains the instrument to the people giving and receiving POA. Interestingly enough, he does this separately and has two completely different speeches for each party.
To the person granting Power of Attorney, Mr. M (the attorney) says, "This is the most powerful instrument you will ever sign." He stresses that once the POA is signed, the person receiving POA can act on behalf of the person granting the POA in every respect. He usually tells the anecdote of the loving military couple. They are newlyweds, just bought a house, husband goes on deployment for 6 months. Husband comes home to find former best friend living in his home, which is now in the name of his wife only.
Could this happen? Yes. Could it be undone? Yes, but the process of reversing actions carried out through a POA is much more difficult than one may think.
Now for the speech for the person receiving Power of Attorney. "This is the most power (the client) can legally give you. This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly." This speech rarely includes the anecdote about the loving military couple. Good attorneys know that you don't want to put ideas into someone's head.
To end, Mr. M is righ, a POA is the most powerful instrument a person can sign. Most attorneys, including Mr. M, do not reccomend POAs, even for couples that have been married for decades. The simple fact is that a POA is easy to execute, but nearly impossible to reverse once decisions have been made.
This week's assignment really got me thinking and I wanted to blog about the Power of Attorney part of the assignment.
The attorney that I work for every now and then has executed many POAs and as a notary, I have actually been in the room when he explains the instrument to the people giving and receiving POA. Interestingly enough, he does this separately and has two completely different speeches for each party.
To the person granting Power of Attorney, Mr. M (the attorney) says, "This is the most powerful instrument you will ever sign." He stresses that once the POA is signed, the person receiving POA can act on behalf of the person granting the POA in every respect. He usually tells the anecdote of the loving military couple. They are newlyweds, just bought a house, husband goes on deployment for 6 months. Husband comes home to find former best friend living in his home, which is now in the name of his wife only.
Could this happen? Yes. Could it be undone? Yes, but the process of reversing actions carried out through a POA is much more difficult than one may think.
Now for the speech for the person receiving Power of Attorney. "This is the most power (the client) can legally give you. This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly." This speech rarely includes the anecdote about the loving military couple. Good attorneys know that you don't want to put ideas into someone's head.
To end, Mr. M is righ, a POA is the most powerful instrument a person can sign. Most attorneys, including Mr. M, do not reccomend POAs, even for couples that have been married for decades. The simple fact is that a POA is easy to execute, but nearly impossible to reverse once decisions have been made.
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