Posted by 101livescan on 6/1/13 10:43am
Msg #471927

Power of Attorney Signing at Assisted Care Facility

Amid a furor of loan signings, Special Power of Attorney and Grant Deeds, I had arranged to meet a man whose brother is at an Assisted Care Facility for General POA signing giving him authority to handle his brother's end of life business matters. His brother has Hepatitus C and is HIV positive, having been a heroine addict for most of his life. He is a VN Vet. My heart hurt upon meeting him. Like a little child sitting up in his bed with a Hawaiian shirt, he clearly made a special effort to be ready for me to come by for his signature on the document, hair combed and freshly shaven.

It was the most important work I did yesterday. Just a very sad circumstance for this man of 63. Death is at his door.

Sometimes you walk away from these jobs with sobering reality. Life is definitely what you make it. Savor it! It's all too short.

Reply by MW/VA on 6/1/13 10:48am
Msg #471928

That's a touching story. IMO sometimes God taps us on the

shoulder & reminds us that life isn't all sunshine & roses. I'm glad you were able to help him put his life in order in his final hours.

Reply by Glenna Webb on 6/1/13 10:53am
Msg #471930

Re: That's a touching story. IMO sometimes God taps us on the

Thanks for sharing. I can picture the Hawaiin shirt and combed hair. He made a good impression. God bless him.

Reply by TeriW/CA on 6/1/13 11:34am
Msg #471946

So true. Last week a woman whom I've known for many years, called to see if I could meet her 34 year old son, at the hospital, to notarize him signing POA over to his dad, her husband. (I know the dad too but have only met the son once or twice). I asked if everything was okay and she started to cry and said she didn't think so. When I got there, he was in a room and supposed to be going to ICU. Apparently he has a very aggressive form of cancer and isn't expected to live. While we were waiting for the witnesses to get there, he was on the phone, trying to get his medi-cal insurance. He had been unemployed for the last 2 years, except one month so it messed up his unemployment and in turn his insurance assistance. He was crying on the phone that he needed to talk to a supervisor so that he could get this fixed before he died. It was all I could do not to start crying with him.

Reply by 101livescan on 6/1/13 11:38am
Msg #471947

EOL illness no cake walk for any one. I like Woody Allen's idea of reversing the life process, coming in as an old person and going out as an embryo.

Reply by MW/VA on 6/1/13 2:09pm
Msg #471970

Woody Allen wasn't the only one with that idea. The movie

"Secret Life of Benjamin Button" was exactly that.

Reply by LKT/CA on 6/1/13 12:09pm
Msg #471952

Yes, it can be very emotional to notarize for hospice patient's. A few years ago, I notarized for a woman dying of cervical cancer - she was 36 years old. I was told she had 3 days left to live. I arrived at the home and the family was around the bed, she was hooked up to everything, though she was not emaciated but normal size. I was notarizing paperwork to give guardianship of her child to a family member. I didn't even want to collect my fees but the mom insisted I take the money....she says, "Take this, it's your livilihood".

I've since notarized for other hospice patients, mostly older folks. That lady stuck in my mind because she was young and leaving a child behind. I agree that life is definitely what you make of it.

Reply by Susan Fischer on 6/1/13 12:45pm
Msg #471963

"It was the most important work I did yesterday." Yes'm, so

true.

Of all of our work, facilitating critical family business in times of distress and immediacy may indeed be our most important function.

While thankful and privileged to be of service, many times I've gotten back to my car and cried my heart out because I was needed at all.

Reply by Karla/OR on 6/1/13 1:36pm
Msg #471968

We see the best of times and the worst of times. And those in-between. Certainly does open your eyes. I love to be in this profession where we are able to be there for the those in need. We're not Mother Teresa's but we do have an important part to play in these people lives.

Thank you all for sharing such touching stories. Lisa you touched on such an important issue about finding it had to take money for your services in these particular case. I love to be amongst those notaries with such a heart and soul.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Reply by Christine/OK on 6/2/13 9:33am
Msg #472012

Yes, it is always tough to do GNW in homes/hospitals/nursing homes with the signer at the EOL. :/