Importance of power of attorney, living will, health care power of attorney

EZLiving66

Just a reminder of how important it is to have our "paper work" in order.  We are seeing our lawyer next week to make sure everything is up-to-date.  I know we have to make some changes to our wills since we adopted our granddaughter last summer.

But...I have a funny story to tell you.  When my mother remarried in 1991, she was almost 14 years younger than her new husband, Vern.  Within two years of their marriage he started showing signs of Alzheimers.  He had owned a house with one of his sons but when they got married, he gave his half of his house to his other son and lived in my mother's house.  In order to get him in the nursing home with the county paying for it, that had to be reversed.

I told my mother she needed to get him to update his will, power of attorney and living will so she could start the legal process since Vern couldn't do it.  I called our lawyer and he said to bring Vern up to his office, he would talk to him and see if he thought Vern was still competent enough to make decisions.  If not, they would have to go to court to get guardianship which could be very involved and expensive.  We had coached Vern on who the president was, who the VP was, what day it was, etc. so he could answer the lawyer's questions.

It was winter and we had a lot of snow in Green Bay.  Our lawyer's office was downtown on a busy street.  So I piled Vern in the back of my van and my mom in the front and off we went.  I parallel parked right next to a huge snowbank a block down from the lawyer's office and had to crawl over it to get the money in the meter.  In the meantime, my mom got out and walked to the street side of the car to help Vern get out.  Vern was well over six feet tall and a big guy.  My mom was about 5'2" and pretty little.  She's tugging on Vern and telling him to hurry since cars are whizzing by and she didn't want to get hit.  She got him out and was trying to hussle him to a spot in the snowbank that was cleared out so she could get him off the street and up on the sidewalk.  I finally got the money in the meter and literally crawled back over the snowbank.  I came around the street side of the car to help her and there she is, pulling Vern along and his pants were around his ankles!!  He had sweat pants on and apparently the waist string had come lose.  Poor mom, poor Vern, shuffling in his tightie whities on the main street of Green Bay in the snow.  I yelled to her that his pants had fallen off and rushed over to help her.  We were on each side of him trying to pull them back up and get him off the street.  My mother said what if the lawyer saw this - he would never think Vern was competent to sign those papers and she's almost crying.  

We finally got the formerly-pantless-Vern up on the sidewalk, got him inside and my mom fixed his pants which were, by now, pretty wet.  Poor Vern was just clueless about what just went on.  We whisked him into the elevator and sat down with the lawyer and a second witness, his secretary.  Luckily Vern remembered who the president was, what day it was, etc. but still looked pretty mixed up.  I mentioned to our lawyer that Vern was a big baseball fan - he had been drafted in 1940 by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a pitcher and he and Vern started to talk about baseball.  When Vern talked baseball, his eyes would just light up and it was like he would come back to life.  After that discussion, the attorney said he thought he's competent to sign the paper work and we were done.  We beat it out of there before Vern said something crazy.  This time, I went and got the car and picked up Vern and my mom on the corner where the snow had been shoveled.  

I told my husband we needed to get everything taken care of with our lawyer before I lost my mind and became a "Vern" shuffling around downtown Green Bay with my pants around my ankles just in my baggy undies .

Love,

Eldri

Lou Ann M

So right

we all need that paper work in place.  Love your story. I needed a good laugh today.  Love Lou Ann

Northwoodsgirl

Sounds like a story from the

Sounds like a story from the Readers Digest! I can relate to your story as I recall caring for my Grandfather with Alzheimer's disease. God bless you for helping your Mom and her husband. 

EZLiving66

Northwoodsgirl said:

Sounds like a story from the

Sounds like a story from the Readers Digest! I can relate to your story as I recall caring for my Grandfather with Alzheimer's disease. God bless you for helping your Mom and her husband. 

Northwoodsgirl, where in the

Northwoodsgirl, where in the north woods are you??  LOL  We are sometimes in the northwoods of Wisconsin.

My mother and I had a different kind of relationship - I was her caregiver for many years.  The day before she died she told me she could always count on me to take care of things and told me how precious I was to her.  God knows I tried - LOL!

Love,

Eldri