Sunday I had to call 911 when Mom fell and I couldn't get her up. She did not hurt herself in the fall, but she was both dehydrated, low on sodium, and has a bad UTI. She will probably need to be transferred from the hospital to a rehab nursing facility. My question is this. As her POA am I responsible for unpaid bills from the hospital? ie. radiology, specialists etc. I unfortunately have all her money in a joint account. When that is gone, am I still held responsible?
Be careful when signing any agreements - go over the small print with a magnifying glass. You sign for and on behalf of, with Power of Attorney for Mrs X; you do NOT act as her guarantor or accept liability for costs.
Do you need to make an applications for financial assistance for her? Other forum members have a great deal of expertise about this - ask away!
Does your Mom have Medicare [if she is over 65 she probably does if she is a U.S. citizen] or does she have Medicaid? My Dad had fallen a few times and was transported by EMT's to the hospital and couple times had to stay over. So far I haven't paid one bill as it looked like Medicare paid for everything, even the ambulance rides. Whatever Medicare doesn't pay, usually the secondary insurance will pick it the cost.