If my mom has dementia, do I need to set up guardianship and/or conservatorship in order to oversee her placement in assisted living?

I live in Oregon and had no problems getting my mother into AL and later a nursing home with having DPOA.

While my mother wasn't exactly cooperative when it came to the nursing home move - she wasn't really mentally capable of arranging anything for herself on her own - with the level of dementia she had at the time. Also, all moms doctors were in agreement that that was the right setting for her given her medical needs.

Most facilities will want a letter from the treating doc stating that the patient can not live alone. The poa is good also.

The bigger problem is if mom is not cooperative. Then you may need guardianship to force a move. But most facilities are very good at helping families. Give it a try before you go through the hassles of guardianship.