Ask Dale Susan:
"Who Has Durable Medical Power of Attorney if My Parent Remarries?"
Understanding who holds Durable Medical Power of Attorney for an aging parent is very important. One reader wrote, asking
"My father has remarried. Who now is responsible for making medical decisions if he is not able to speak for himself?"
Health
care power of attorney, health care proxy, and health care surrogate
are varying terms for the same function in different states. In cases of
remarriage of a parent, knowing how this all works is essential.
By
the time a health care power of attorney would need to step in, it
would mean that a parent was unable to speak for themselves -- even
temporarily. This would be determined by a doctor in order for the POA
to have legal authority. Your father would most likely be in the midst
of some serious medical condition. So you'll want to understand how this
works in cases of remarriage so that you and your family are not caught
by surprise, or the surrogate decision-maker is unprepared.
Listen to this brief audio below to understand how this works.
Talk to you soon...
Dale Susan
{Click on the triangle to play.}
Ask Dale Susan to Medical Power of Attorney Q & A Page
