Power of Attorney for rising college freshman?
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Anonymous
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Someone told me today that I need to get a Power of Attorney for my kid who is going to college this fall. The scenario raised was that if DS was somehow incapacitated a hospital would not be able to talk with me (his parent) about his care as he is over 18. I'm sure there are many lawyers on this board (as well as college parents of course) - thoughts?
Thanks. |
Anonymous
| Yes you should. Just did the paperwork and need to have it signed. I did one for our home state and the college’s state. |
Anonymous
| They are insane. Next of kin gets talked to if the patient is incapacitated. Unless your kid got married without telling you, that's you |
Anonymous
| What happens if a young adult without PoA is unconscious? |
Anonymous
| This is a good practice. It is not insane or superfluous. Yes, if your kid is unmarried, the hospital staff would look to next of kin to make decisions and this would be the kid's parents but if mom and dad are divorced/separated, they may not agree on medical procedures/treatment. Additionally, you may also want to delegate authority to a nearby relative who can get to the hospital faster than a parent. |
Anonymous
Please do it. We learned the hard way and no doctor would talk to us or give us any information about DS condition. |
Anonymous
| Oh come on. |
Anonymous
| Do you really need them for the college state? What if they are injured while on a trip to a neighboring state? Is it really true there is not reciprocity? |
Anonymous
| Sounds like the situation Brittany Spears was in. |
Anonymous
| This is helicopter parenting going too far. |
Anonymous
| Unless DC is married, you will be next of kin and will be contacted anyway as decision-maker in case they are incapacitated. |
Anonymous
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We had this happen to our college sophomore. First roommate called from ambulance. Then ER doctor called. Also talked to roommate who was in the ER bay. I got in the car for the 8 hr drive. ER nurse called, flight nurse called. Trauma doctor called and ICU nurse called all during my drive. Nurses multiple times.
You are the next of kin. Decisions have to be made and they want the family to be there or making the decisions. No paperwork was needed. |
Anonymous
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You can download and fill out all the forms free online at powerofattorney.doc or something like it. These need to be notarized
Durable Power of attorney health directive Durable Power of attorney financial Can get and have notarized HIPAA release form Good luck! |
Anonymous
The mamas here want to make decisions even if the child isn't truly incapacitated. Anyway, why pay some grifter $79 for forms you can download online for free? |
Anonymous
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All the posts that are commenting how unlikely it is to need such forms are focused on the more acute emergencies.
Here is a different take. My 18 year old college freshman was diagnosed during his first semester with a condition that is chronic and that affected his daily life due to the symptoms, risks and medications involved. There was no sign of this happening prior. It was sudden and while not life threatening, needed immediate attention. He attens college over 1,500 miles away and as a STEM major was incredibly busy with classes and deadlines. Having a Medical POA already in hand allowed us to assist him with follow-up about lab testing, setting up prescription services and advocating for help when he developed a serious side effect from the medications. Could he do all of that on his own while miles away, not sure of where the best medical professionals are and not feeling well all while working his ass off to not fail a class? Sure. But during a difficult time in our son's life we are thankful we had the foresight to set up the paperwork to step in and help him long distance when he needed (and asked for) it. |