Because a co-worker is on maternity leave, I find myself having to deal with the appointment of guardians for incapacitated persons. The cases are depressing. They usually involve the incapacitated person arriving at a hospital without having appointed a durable power of attorney to make decisions for them. The hospital has to initiate guardianship proceedings and then the family, if there is one, argues about whether there should a guardian and who it should be. It can end up being an unrelated professional guardian, even if the family thinks it should be Aunt Melba. Sometimes there is a hint that a family member wants to be guardian just so they can control finances.
The point of this post is to encourage people to make sure someone you know will be able to act for you in the event you are incapacitated and to make sure you will be able to act for loved ones in the event they are incapacitated.
The point of this post is to encourage people to make sure someone you know will be able to act for you in the event you are incapacitated and to make sure you will be able to act for loved ones in the event they are incapacitated.
