When her son decided to attend college a thousand miles away from home, Jodi Sheintul knew she needed a solution to provide the support he needed making financial decisions, from a distance.
What Jodi couldn’t know was that he would need her help with a medical emergency.
A Proactive Approach Eased Anxiety
When any parent sends a child off to college, they are faced with a mix of pride and concern. For Jodi and her husband, concerns they had over their son’s ability to handle his finances independently while at school were calmed by putting a Young Adult Power of Attorney form in place.
“We had a FERPA waiver in place to handle school-related bills and had signed forms to give us the ability to help our son with any incidents that might arise on campus, but off campus, there was nothing to provide us with the authority to help him, should he need it,” Jodi shares. “For that reason, we knew we needed a power of attorney form in place.”
After seeing an ad for Mama Bear Legal Forms’ Young Adult POA package, Jodi visited the site and signed up.
Putting a POA Form in Place Was a Breeze
Jodi instantly felt comfortable creating her POA forms through Mama Bear saying, “It was a breeze to sign up and almost a no-brainer to go with Mama Bear when they provided a second state POA form at no additional cost.”
Jodi recalls that she felt confident knowing she had sets of notarized papers giving her and her husband the authority to help their son should he need it in both Florida, where he was attending school, and in New York, where they lived.
A Life-Changing Decision
Midway through her son’s first year at college, Jodi received a dreaded call in the middle of the night.
“I was on vacation with my sister when my husband got the call,” she says. “There had been a serious accident and my son had been taken to the hospital. When my husband called the hospital, he was not given any information about our son other than that he was in the ER.”
Jodi Sheintul
However, upon mentioning the existence of the Young Adult POA, the hospital immediately changed their stance, acknowledging Jodi and her husband’s authority to make decisions on their son’s behalf.
In retrospect, Jodi considers this as a lifesaving decision. Without the POA, they might not have been able to receive any updates or make vital medical choices for their son in the midst of the emergency.
The document allowed them to decide on his care from afar, ensuring he received the medical attention he needed.
“Having the authority to talk with them was so critical,” Jodi recalls. “They wanted to give our son a skin graft, and some medical treatment that ultimately proved unnecessary. He wouldn’t have been able to think through the best decision for his treatment at that time and so having the POA was essential to him ultimately getting the best treatment possible.”
A Reassuring Ally
Jodi’s son’s accident shifted the focus of the POA from financial matters to medical decisions, highlighting the document’s versatility. Reflecting on her experience, Jodi became one of Mama Bear’s most dedicated referrers, urging others to consider the Young Adult POA as a crucial backup for unforeseen emergencies.
A Call for Preparedness, Not Helicopter Parenting
Addressing any potential criticism of being overprotective, Jodi firmly believes that putting a Young Adult POA in place is not about hovering over your child but ensuring you can step in when they may not be in a position to give consent.
The document serves as an essential safety net during challenging situations, providing parents with the means to support their adult children responsibly when they need it the most.
Empower Your Family With a Young Adult POA
Jodi’s story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preparedness for families with college-bound young adults.
The Young Adult Power of Attorney from Mama Bear Legal Forms has proven to be a vital tool in helping parents support their children during unexpected emergencies and times of financial or medical crisis.
With this legal document in hand, parents can have peace of mind knowing they have a means to safeguard their children in times of need, without compromising their autonomy.
Why Young Adult Power of Attorney Forms are so Important
If Jodi’s story alone doesn’t seal the deal for you, consider the following reasons why you may want to consider a POA for your young adult child.
Things happen when a young person becomes a legal adult:
- Caregivers are no longer authorized to make medical decisions for their child
- Parents can no longer talk with representatives and counselors about their child’s financial issues
- Banks and insurance companies won’t discuss a child’s account or health condition with legal guardians unless a properly executed power of attorney form is presented.
Every parent assumes that if their children ask for their assistance with medical or financial matters, they have the legal right to handle decisions for their adult children.
But once your college student is an adult in the eyes of the law, you no longer have the right to be involved in their medical or financial matters.
Without a financial POA and healthcare POA, parents are not authorized to help adult children manage their financial, legal or healthcare decisions.
Read More Young Adult POA Stories
Would you like to hear from more parents about their experience with Mama Bear? In addition to receiving answers to common questions, hear from these individuals about their POA stories:
- Debra Preis graduates her son to Furman
- Jennifer McBride sees her daughter become a Volunteer
- Sara Smith’s sends her daughter to school
- Jason learns why being a doctor isn’t enough to help his son
Putting a power of attorney form in place now removes the stress of worrying about whether or not you will be able to help your child when they need it and frees you to focus on other things.
Take the Next Step
Ready to get your Young Adult POA Package? Mama Bear Legal Forms provides law firm quality, state-specific documents that are easy to create, simple to download and at $79, are incredibly affordable. All the following documents are included:
- Health Power of Attorney Documents
- Finance Power of Attorney Documents
- HIPAA Release & FERPA Waiver
- Free Documents for a Second State
- Free App for Scanning and Storing Forms
All forms we offer are legally valid in all states and include guidance on how to complete them.
