My mother is currently in a NH and has severe dementia that is progressing rapidly and the nursing home staff have mentioned that I should take over as the “responsible person” because she isn’t able to make decisions about her care anymore. Is there a way of becoming the medical decision maker for her care without me having to sign a contract with the NH? I have a durable POA and her advance medical directive that says that I can take over if she is no longer able to. I just don’t want to have to sign a contract with the NH unless that’s the only option.
Read your POAs and see if a letter from her doctor is needed to make your POA effective. I just read my Moms POA, for another question, and it turns out it was immediate. So no need for a doctor sign off on her financial but I did need a doctor to make her healthcare directive effective.
I would be leary of signing anything that says "responsible person". I would read this very carefully. You could be signing a financial responsibility.
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have they gotten a copy of the existing POA?
Has there been a scheduled care plan meeting done yet? Usually they are s he very 90 days if Medicare is paying for her medical costs.