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While cheap forms from the office supply store are certainly available, and probably better than nothing, the small fee that a good elder law attorney charges for his or her preparation of a durable power of attorney for financial and legal matters would be money well spent. The cost for just that one document can be between $75 and $200, most likely, depending on the needs of the client. However, you will certainly also need a durable power of attorney for health care and probably a living will.

If the individual for whom you are seeking the POA has any assets and you think that nursing home care may become needed at some point in the future, the attorney will include some necessary clauses in the POA to facilitate certain types of Medicaid planning. Without those clauses, such planning may be impossible to accomplish.

I include a section on durable powers of attorney in my book, Medicaid Secrets, which you may find helpful.
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My dad & I made an appointment with legal aid. Legale aid drew up his medical POA & DPOA at no charge.
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Often the attorney will also prepare the Durable POA, Healthcare POA, Advance Medical Directive or Living Will, HIPPA Consent Form, all the same time, if the client wants them. They can also prepare Last Will and Testament, if that is requested. Often, it's for a flat fee, based on the size of the estate and complexity of the issues.

One of the most valuable things one may obtain is advice on your particular situation. There are laws and consequences that may apply to your situation, that you may not be aware of, unless you consult with an attorney. That's why they will have you complete a questionaire and get details from you.
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I am not a big fan of internet POA and having you fill it out. All it takes is one misplaced word or one word left out to create a landmine of problems later down the road.

With using an Elder Law Attorney you would be asked questions that you never would have thought about which would be important. And you can ask questions to the Attorney.
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The biggest question is whether or not the patient has the capacity to understand what they are signing. If the notary public is not convinced the patient fully understands the document, you may have to seek Guardianship. That gets expensive.
You can get a blank DPOA form anywhere online for free. Notaries are very cheap and sometimes free at your bank.
Lawyers expect about $300 per hour.
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It all depends on who the POA is covering. Documents can be downloaded free online with your state secretary of state website. The person signing must be present to sign, under no duress, and be competent. Notaries do not have medical licenses so cannot make a medical determination as to competency, but will ask the signor who he/she is, date of birth, and ask what document they are signing (perhaps). A bank's notary cannot sign a power of attorney attesting to competency (at least Wells Fargo will not). Why does this person need a POA? If you are a caregiver, this is a bad idea.
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First of all, the elder must understand what they are signing. Then they must present photo ID to a notary public after the document is filled out. Then keep it on file at elder's doctor and hospital.
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My wife downloaded the forms for Minnesota from the internet and gave them to my friend's second cousin to use when she came to visit them. She went through the forms with them line by line marking the boxes the way they wanted them marked and writing their desires in the open ended question areas. Another friend took them to their bank to have them notarized. The bank people knew them well and knew it was time to get them positioned for help. It was then that I learned that I was their first POA with all sorts of authority vested in me since they had no children nor close relatives. It cost nothing and covered everything. We had been friends for 40 some years, worshipped together, vacationed together, and there was no one else in their life they trusted more than me. The cousin that went through the forms with them was from out of state and was the second POA, while the friend who took them to the bank was the third. It has worked well with this approach and I have learned a lot in this role and gotten a lot of good advice on what to do as their dementia increased and memory worsened.
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We had a Durable POA, Healthcare POA, Advance Medical Directive or Living Will, HIPPA Consent Form, done all the same time, and a Last Will and Testament, for a flat fee of 1,000. It was worth it for the peace of mind to get it all done, and done before my mother got any worse. It was hard enough to get her to agree to these, since she was reaching the phase where she was convinced I only wanted control over her. No matter how often I told her it was so I could protect and speak and act for her best interests.
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