36. Send Me the Power of Attorney: Why a Parent's Verbal OK Fails

You are helping your elderly parent with an insurance problem, and the agent who always handled things is gone. The new agent sees a note on the account but does not know you, so they won't share much. Then you hear it: "Can you just send me the power of attorney?" I lived this while advocating for a client, and it took a few phone calls and a three-way call to get it settled.

In this episode I tell you the story and why a verbal OK from your aging parent does not hold up. Permission given to one person at a company stays with that person, not with the account. You will hear what to ask each company so your authorization is on file before there is a problem, and why your parent's own say-so matters. If you are the caregiver or the daughter who ends up making the phone calls, this is elderly care planning that saves you stress. I am not a lawyer. This is education, not legal advice.

Proverbs 27:12 says the prudent see trouble coming and prepare for it. A little paperwork now is one way we love our parents well later. Next Monday I will tell you what happens after sending the POA.

Join the wait list for my online course on getting your aging parent’s affairs organized before a crisis: their documents, money, safety, health care, and who is on your care team. Put me on the wait list

© 2026 Selective Ideas, Inc. All rights reserved. Navigating Elderly Parents is produced by Selective Ideas, Inc.Educational & Informational Purposes Only. This podcast is general education, not legal, financial, tax, insurance, medical, therapeutic, or mental health advice, and should not be your only basis for any decision. The host is not an attorney, doctor, or financial advisor. Guests may be licensed professionals, but nothing here creates an attorney-client or any other professional relationship. Guest views are their own. We do not diagnose or give individual advice, and we cannot guarantee any result. Your parent has rights: if they can legally make their own decisions, those decisions belong to them. Do not act for them without their permission or proper legal authority, like a power of attorney. Laws differ by state and change. Before you sign or use any legal document, talk with an elder law attorney in your state. You use this information at your own risk. In a medical emergency, call 911.