Wife & sole caregiver of my 85/yo husband with vascular dementia. Do I need a POA? I am sole annuity beneficiary & joint tenant on home.

Simple answer: Go see an elder law attorney now. They the answers to ALL of your questions concerning your situation. Don't go on hearsay with piecemeal answers or suggestions on here regarding your financial matters and your home. It costs approximately $200.00 or $250.00 for one hour of answering your questions and it will be factual and legal. That's what I did when I had POA for my parents. Saved me a ton of grief and worry.

I would contact an elder law attorney to assist you with these matters. In my opinion, you need a POA not only for financial but medical matters should you become incapacitated.

You already have a POA for sale, so if your husband is in the early stages of dementia and still has the mental capacity to grant you his financial and healthcare POA, that should done. The POA for sale doesn't allow you to make financial and healthcare decisions for him, only to sell the property. Engage an elder care attorney to create both a DURABLE general (financial) POA and a DURABLE healthcare POA. These will allow you to both handle his financial affairs and make healthcare decisions for him. Neither POA will allow you to change beneficiaries (hopefully, you are his beneficiary).

Are there children or step-children? If steps that needs careful consideration

See an elder law attorney.

Yes you should have his PoA. Although your husband has dementia, he may be considered legally competent. Competence levels change and there may be days when your husband can understand what it is he's doing when he signs the PoA. (Even if yesterday, he could not have executed this.) See an elder lawyer who understands dementia and you may need input from your husband's GP or geriatrician. Good luck.

I agree with getting an attorney to help you. Every state and country has different laws. Along with a P.O.A, you may want a Trust with you being the Trustee, and ask about community property, so if and when you dear husband passes, you will not have to go through the courts. All assets will automatically pass to you. There is no law that says you can't ask for help in making decisions
in behalf of your Husband But never, never give up your right to be the one who makes all the final decisions.

Imho, you'd do yourself a favor by hiring an elder law attorney.

Highly recommend quickly finding a reputable attorney and also a financial planner/CFP (get references!) with tenured experience to help you navigate and plan through your current and future situation. Too difficult to try and do this without that expertise.

My heart goes out to you and your husband.

I suggest you talk to a lawyer. But a financial POA would make it easier to manage anything with your husband's name on it. A medical POA would help with his medical care as well.

I have a general question: assuming the OP is same or close in age to her husband and successfully becomes his durable PoA, in the event the OP dies before him (God forbid) who legally takes over his care? Does he become a ward of the county if no one else steps up for guardianship? Something to ponder that maybe the OP needs have husband assign a co-PoA (someone much younger, local and trustworthy). I'm hoping MrsHoover has a durable PoA assigned for herself, too.