My brother has moved into a Board & Care home in California. He has many serious health issues, including hand tremors, leg amputation, heart disease. He is non-ambulatory and wears diapers.
He is having to sell his house, and we are struggling with the logistics. Importantly, what is his residence address supposed to be now? His bank account, his Social Security address, his personal ID, his medical insurance, his voting registration?
It doesn't help that I'm trying to help him with all this from Massachusetts. What can I do? Is there such a thing as a manager we can hire?
Dad already had me as a signer for any checks that needed to be written from his savings/checking account. New checks were made saying as an example John Smith OR Jane Doe.
You can check with Accountants to see if they do this type of financial management, but there will be a hourly or set fee.
By the way, wearing diapers isn't a health issue. There are people who are in the working world who wear Depend type products.
I had all Moms bills and bank statements routed to me since I was the one paying her bills. I only had one problem, the hospital admitting. The argued they needed her ALs address to send her bills to. I argued they needed to come me because I paid the bills. I wasn't winning that one. So then I said well then you must put Moms mailbox number on the bill. If not they hand the mail to Mom and since she has Dementia that bill could go anywhere and then they don't get paid. I later had to call their billing office about something else. Found out in talking to the clerk that I was in my rights to have the bills come to me, that the admitting person was wrong.
https://www.agingcare.com/local/geriatric-care-managers/ca
A geriatric care manager can help with a lot of these tasks, and a fiduciary may be needed for some steps. Usually a geriatric care manager has a relationship with a good fiduciary, can recommend good attorneys, etc. I do know a couple of resources in San Mateo county, if he is there or near there.
There are MDs who specialize in seeing homebound elders, which may be a better fit for your dad at this stage.
Good luck.
He is bedbound so even if I traveled to CA, we would need to find an attorney to come to him (or at least use a traveling notary for signatures). I think contacting a geriatric care manager could be my next step.
Now on to the address. I was POA for my brother and Trustee of Trust and did all taxes, wills, accounts, bills, etc. Everything financial. Because of this he had two addresses really, but the mail that came to me I arranged with each and every entity to have sent to me (wow what a process!). I lived in No Cal and he in So Cal. It made it much more difficult than had I been able to drop in and get his mail.
So the dilemma is, yes, where will Dad's mail go. It may be best, if it goes to the POA or whomever is his guardian. But it can't be changed for Social Security to do that and in fact is very difficult to change anything at all with social security. If Dad is competent he can tell the B and C that they need to send certain pieces of mail to his POA. If not it is harder.
A tough dilemma. I honestly don't know what to tell you for your Dad. It was hard enough always to do for my brother. I wouldn't try it again.