My mom is living in a nursing home after a recent surgery with complications. I have her mailing address as mine (not just forwarding, but changed her address.) She still has a vacant home in a nearby town. I am POA and have been taking care of her bills. Once in a while I need to write a check. Her checks have her old address on there. Should I order new ones with my address, her nursing home address, or just leave them as they are?
Her other POA is still using her old address, but only writes one check/month.
No trouble either way, yet, but I think using her old address is wrong.
Initially I only changed the mailing address for mom's checks, but I had to stop statements going to her and avoid her getting into all other banking (to mess it up!) So, the next round of new checks came with my PO box. As we planned to sell her condo, ALL addresses needed to be changed (fun stuff with federal mail, such as IRS, VA, SS, and pension - none accept POAs!)
FWIW - one of my own accounts is rarely used, so I have MANY checks left with my old address on them. Moved 6 years ago. IF I use those checks and IF I remember, I cross out the address and write in my PO Box and new town. No one cares unless the check bounces. Worst case, the entity the check is written to uses that address to sell her info to those data mines who make money selling addresses for {mostly} junk mail. Good, the junk won't come to you!
An old checkbook I had, from my undergraduate years, still had "1-2-5-10-20-50-100-Large" on the back of the deposit slips to indicate the denominations of paper money deposited. Now that "large" denominations are collector's items, they're unlikely to be deposited.
I remember way back when one had their home address, their telephone number, and their social security number.
When it came time for me to handle my Dad's bills, Dad and I went to the bank where Dad asked the bank that I be a co-signed on his checks. Thus the new checks read "J. Benny or C. Benny Kadiddlehopper".
All of my Dad's mail was forward to me, and I did change of address to the important items. No mail to the senior facility as Dad thought every piece of mail was "junk mail" including bills :P
When I took over my mom's finances after I moved her into an ALF in 2015, she had quite a few checks left. I didn't want to waste them because I also knew I couldn't just throw them in the garbage and they would have to be shredded. So I used them up by crossing out the old address and using my address stamper beside it.
Once I used them up and it was time to reorder, I had my address imprinted on them since I get and pay all her bills. I never have anything go to her facility. I only give her facility address to her siblings and when filling out paperwork for mobile doctors otherwise, I've done what you've done - I filled out a "change of address" form through the USPS in order for me to receive all her mail. I've never had a problem. Same went for the separate checking account I had to set up for her Social Security checks to be used for her rent payments when I had to apply to become her Representative Payee. Those checks have her name and my address on them and then I sign as her custodian.
In my response, I said the pension and SS don't even cover half of her "rent", the trust funds cover the rest and anything else that needs to be paid (mostly supplies.) It's not like she's going on vaca someplace, or needs to buy a lot of stuff! She's 96 (at the time) with dementia, little to no hearing, soon to lose vision, in a wheelchair, where do they think she's going, New Zealand???
Doing payments MY way means I only have to account for trust fund usage to my brothers. They don't ask about it or mom, so they can stuff it!
[Mrs Squatch33's Mother]
℅ Squelch33
Your address
Your address
Your zip code
Do you expect her to become permanently resident in the nursing home?
As suggested, use her name,in care of you at your address.
good luck
If you must write a check, I would use your address. That way all correspondence comes to you.
I'll probably just continue to use her checks as they are and cross out the address and put mine. All her bills are done online and, ironically, the only check I write is for her nursing home bill. I think they know where to find her :)
Do not leave that house vacant!!! Believe me the neighbors know and are watching. And do not EVER tell 1 neighbor anyone is in the hospital/not there!!!!!! EVER. They will tell all the neighbors and go over and break in looking for valuables. And more than 1x. They will keep coming back knowing they aren't going to get caught. I had them doing it weekly until I out cameras up. They would do it early morn/late at nite.
My sibling said she was poa/executor. No paperwork to prove it. Let parents property sit. Change out/leave diff vehicles and lights on/get timers. Get solar motion lights. Put up fake cameras or better yet real ones. Show up at diff times. Very early morning & late eve.
Do not turn heat/or elec off in house. If heat ever goes out it will rot the floors from moisture wicking up thru basement. Pipes will burst if heat not hi enuff. Shut water off. My sibling stopped paying bills for elec/heat. At least 2yrs maybe more. Entire first floor was rotted had to be replaced.
If house is paid for, you might not have home owners insurance. Make sure you do. They dont want to insure a vacant property. Get someone to rent it or live there. Spend a night or 2 there every once in awhile if you can. Make it look like someone is there. Leave a TV on at night. Put on timer.
I am having all sorts of problems with neighbors. Since they assumed it was abandoned.
You might want to get car insurance canceled. See what is coming automatically out of checking account and get it canceled. You could be hemoraging money from automatic bills no longer needed. My sibling had car insurance, phone/wifi coming out of checking for yrs. Dont let moms car sit. It might not start. It will pay for her care. Move car around on the property. In garage, close to house, out towards street etc. Cars sitting will get mice too. These are things people don't think about. Get roof of house checked. The shingles needed to be replaced. Now there is a roof leak. The elderly dont get house roof checked for probably last 20yrs of their life. They tend to let things go. And then poa get overwhelmed taking over bills, runs to hospital, nursing home trying to keep up.. Good luck.
Name of patient (mother's name)
c/o My name, I am the POA (show my name)
My address
And I would have an account set up with the bank accordingly.
Name of patient, c/o my name, POA, my address.
Sign checks with your name. Underneath write, POA for name of
patient. Never, ever had a problem.