If you have given up keeping your New Year’s Resolutions, I’d like to suggest something that will give peace of mind to both you and a loved one as time flies quickly by. Please consider updating your advance directives such as a power of attorney for finances or health as well as wills, trusts, etc.
These documents are only needed when a person is not able to take care of personal business or communicate their wishes regarding health care. In caring for or about someone, it is best to know how they would like to be taken care of when a disabling situation arises. Because our notaries travel to the client’s location, they deal with many extreme situations in hospitals or assisted living facilities when families are faced with decisions they are not able to make because no advance directives have been completed.
The law prohibits doctors, banks or other institutions from sharing private information with anyone unless they are named as the “agent” who is the person the patient has given permission to act on their behalf when they are not able to do so on their own.
The frustration a family endures from attempting to help a loved one during these trying times is overwhelming. Most of you will think this only happens to an older person. Unfortunately, we encounter many families with adult children who have never thought they needed to have advance directives because they were healthy young adults, but now they’ve been in an accident and Mom and Dad no longer can make decisions for their child. It is never too early to complete these documents to let your family and friends know your wishes. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR PLANNING! Please don’t wait until an unforeseen situation occurs and you are no longer able to make those decisions on your own.
Our notaries are not lawyers and therefore cannot create documents or give legal advice including describing, interpreting, explaining content or the legal implication of any document. However, as full time mobile notaries, we can make it easy to have these documents notarized if you are unable to travel to a notary’s office. We travel throughout Allegheny and surrounding counties. Service is available Monday – Friday from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm and on weekends and holidays by advance appointment. For more information, please visit our website at www.notaryneighbor.com.
Jean Ellen Flohr, Notary Public
NOTARY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
“Mobile Notary Service At Your Location”
Phone: 412-860-8711
Fax:412-871-0827
www.notaryneighbor.com
