My biological father had a stroke and is in icu, his spouse (my step mother) just lost her father and is still dealing with it. I do not feel like she is emotionally capable of making the best decisions for my father. Is there any way possible, to take over power of attorney? She is wanting to put him in a nursing home, and making rash decisions that are not in the best interest of my father. Please I need help, my dad needs help.
I am curious. What do you consider to be in your father's best interest when he is discharged?
When my Dad had a heart attack, my Mom refused to let him go to a Rehab/Nursing facility. She thought she could take care of him. Dad had physical therapy at home but it was a slow recovery that way, as there were no physical therapy machines at my parents house that would help a person gain the strength they need. Poor Mom was so exhausted as this was much more than what she had bargain. If she had to do it all over again, she would have had my Dad be in Rehab/Nursing until he was able to function at home.
Please note that only your Dad can changed his Power of Attorney to another person. You cannot do this. Usually a POA has two person's named, a primary and a secondary. That way if the primary is unable to perform as POA for whatever reason, the secondary takes over.
This is the most frequent trajectory for stroke patients-- to go to rehab. Just make sure that you understand what is actually happening before you object.
Who thinks that this next step for dad is not appropriate?
Find out what dad's day to day care needs are, not from family members, but from the SW department at the hospital. And find out if dad has developed vascular dementia as a result of the stroke.
Please come back and tell us how this works out.