If someone has Power of attorney, should it be kept secret or should it be made known?

...not sure why you would keep it "secret" - but that is your choice. You will want to give a copy of the med. PoA to your parent's primary care doctor as well as end of life directives.
I carry a copy of both financial and medical PoAs with me in case of an emergency and doctors need to speak with me about Mom's condition, or if there is a financial issue.

TENN:

As you know, a POA (whether it's general or durable) is a legal document that allows you to act on behalf of John/Jeff on certain matters. I've come across some POAs on this forum that go on a power trip the moment they get it and delude themselves into believing they control the caregivee's every breath and there's nothing they can do about it. Those are the ones who toot their own horn too much and scream it to the four winds.

Ask yourself: "Does everyone besides medical and social service providers need to know I have POA, or is it me who needs to let them know?" Actually, have you asked your father and Jeff if they want everyone else to know their business? Don't mean to offend you, but you should ask them first. If decisions are to be made that can have a fundamental impact on the quality of their lives they should be in on it; however insignificant the matter might seem to be.

Just as divorced people should put aside there differences for the sake of the children;Grown kids should put aside their differences for the sake of the ageing parent and work together and not against each other. That is my opinion.

Ok, I'm really responding late on this one but some questions come to mind. So, you knew that your brother had tried at one time to get POA from yall's dad directly but your dad understandibly said no? What you did not know is that your bother found a way to trick your dad into siging a POA like Jacob tricked Essau in the Bible. I gather that you were aware that such a thing as POA existed but did not know how or why it was important to the degree that no curiousity led to seaching out why your brother might want this from your dad? Evidently, the town people only knew of you and your dad, but not of the existence of your brother cause I guess ya'll moved there without your brother. All in all it sounds like unfortunately you and your dad lived very simple but niave lives concerning the rest of society while your brother became a city slicker and just cleaned you out with his knowledge and resources. That is horrible and a terrible missuse of one's education and cosmopolitan sophistication! Is it any wonder that many people in rural, small town and very isolated rural parts of America do not trust educated people because they fear being taken advantage of like you have. I'm sorry this has happened, but it sounds like all that is left is somehow to pick up the pieces that you have left and seek to rebuild your life and forget your brother even exists. He's done a terrible thing of making you into a victim while making himself a victor while his victory is built on a false premise by which he made you look bad so that he could look good and take the goods.

Littlesis,

I wonder with your dad having so many creditors and how much they are hasselsing you if as his POA you could find a non-profit credible debt reduction agency who can both help set you up on a payment plan and also tell those creditors to stop harassing you.

I have a friend who is trying to get her dads estate settled in Ireland,no land involved,just cash. It has been going on for a long time now.The lawyer is purposely trying to start conflict between her and her brother.The lawyer has used every tactic to drag it out.She claims this person that they have hired is trying to empty the account herself and leave them with a coupon.Shes fired that particular attorney,reported her[for what good that does]and is now on lawyer no. 2.Why is the legal system such a racket and who can you report it to in congress,considering 99.9 percent of politicians are also lawyers.

Tennessee, I didn't realize you had been in this fight for so long. I can understand that you are now exhausted (in more ways than one). I think Crowemagnum has summed up things very well. Somehow you have to get on with your life and not let the actions of your brother steal IT away from you. He has taken enough already and in the end, he will have to face what he has done and NO amount of money or trickery will save him. Make a good life for yourself - I'm sure that's what your dad would have wanted. May the Force be with you.

POA has been an interesting duty for me. My lawyer said to be up front with my dad's creditors. One creditor calls me now 5-10 times a day and said it will get worse if "we" don't fork over some money. He said they will call me since dad won't talk to them. I told them I have only had dad for a month and am still sorting through bills his "girlfriend" did not pay since last year. I really don't know all of the financial workings of his life yet. They did not care. They are using my POA as a means to harass me. Good luck. It is a puzzle.

Seems like a good idea, Crowemagnum.

CROWE. You hit the nail pretty much on the head all but the part that this land is our home and have been in the family for several generations.My brothers are older and left after high school,didn't want any part of farming,so they have been gone for 40 something years.They would visit for 3 or 4 hours on the major holidays.They would come in eat and then leave.My dad never talked about them to folks unless he talked about them not coming around.The people they went to school with that was still alive knew of them other than that everyone just figured when you see a girl on a tractor in 10 degree weather or unloading 3000 lbs. of cowfood and taking care of the business that I was the only one.All of my lawyers under estimated them also.The lawyers even thought they sunk to a new form of low-lawyers will not challege there own. My brother is widely known from Memphis to Nashville and very politically active.The title of caregiver does not pull as much weight as attorney-prosecutor-district attorney.He is so use to everyone kissing his butt,he thought we should too,we didn't.A jobs a job everyone is important-a title means nothing to me,but that is not how other people see it. I feel like Davy Crocket at the Alamo waking for the final blow. I was told that the most common technique lawyers use to win is to wear you down financially-the court system allows this to happen.Are my brothers to blame or the legal system that lets it go on.Who would ever thought your own family would do this.I sat at the table with them at Thanksgiving-Traded presents at Xmas,gave them choclate covered strawberries at valentine-no I did not have a clue what was to come..