My friend is not allowed to visit my Mother who has been in a nursing home for 5 years and now has Alzheimer's. She was working there at the...

Question

My friend is not allowed to visit my Mother who has been in a nursing home for 5 years and now has Alzheimer's. She was working there at the time my Mother became a resident, in fact, she recommended the facility to me. A couple years ago, the nursing home said former employees cannot set foot the property, even if they have left on good terms, which she did. She has been a good friend for 15 years, is a nurse, and has offered to visit my Mother if I cannot (out of town, vacation, etc.) My Mother panics when I'm not there every other day and nobody else visits her. I have power of attorney and am successor trustee for my Mother. My siblings live in other states and want nothing to do with my Mother's care. Can the nursing home forbid my friend from seeing my Mother?

Answer

I am unsure if they can do so. However, your Power of Attorney for Property allows you to delegate certain powers to another individual. If you work with an attorney, you may be able to carve out an exception to that rule (which is really your ultimate goal). However, you must be careful with what powers you actually give to her. Feel free to call me if you'd like to discuss this further. I won't charge for a phone call to walk you through this.