Most adult sons learn the power of attorney is weak on the day they need it most, at a teller window or a hospital desk, with Dad in the next room. The paper is only useful if it names the right person, was signed correctly, and still gets read by the people who need to read it. Check it now, while Dad can still sign something new if the paper needs replacing.
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Read the Name and the Alternate
Find the agent named in the document and confirm that person is still the one you would choose. Look for an alternate agent. If the alternate line is blank and the first agent cannot serve, no one may be authorized to act. Write the order down, first name and second name, so the order is not a guess under pressure.
Check Whether It Is Durable and When It Starts
A durable power of attorney is written to keep working if Dad loses capacity. A document that is not durable can stop working at the moment it is most needed. Check whether the paper says it is durable, and whether it takes effect on signing or only after a stated condition, such as a written finding from a doctor. If it springs on a condition, ask who decides the condition has been met and what paperwork that person will produce. A bank or hospital may refuse to act on a trigger it cannot verify.
Check the Signing Formalities
Each state sets its own rules for signing, witnesses, and notarization, and a missing witness line or an unsigned page can sink the document. Compare the signature page against the form your state accepts. Confirm the date line is filled in, the page count is complete, and the signature is Dad's own. If what you have is a photocopy, find the original. Institutions often ask for the original or a certified copy, so know where it is kept and who can get it.
Ask the Institutions Before You Need Them
Call the bank and the main hospital your family uses, and ask two questions: will you accept this document as written, and what additional form do you require. Write down the name of the person who answered and the time of the call. Some institutions keep their own forms and will not take a general power of attorney. Finding that out on a calm afternoon is far better than finding it out at a window with a line behind you.
Ask the Attorney the Questions That Matter
If the document is unclear, or if it was drafted years ago, a licensed attorney in your state can read it against the current requirements. Bring the document, a list of the accounts and providers it touches, and these questions: Does this paper cover health decisions, money decisions, or both? Does it need to be replaced? What must Dad still sign himself for it to be valid? Who should hold the original? Ask for the answers in writing. You are checking the paper, not handing Dad's case to the attorney.
Watch the Window
The most important check is timing. Signing a new document or revoking an old one generally requires that Dad understand what he is signing, and that window can narrow as his condition changes. If you think a new document is needed, that is the reason to act now rather than after the next fall.
Next Move
Pull the original out of the drawer and read the agent line, the durability line, and the signature page. Then write the names and the one question each institution must answer on a single sheet, and make the bank call this week. If you are not sure where to find an attorney who handles this work in the St. Louis area, start with the referrals on Local Help in St. Louis.