According to reports, coronavirus infection comes with minor, flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, muscular pain, fatigue and trouble breathing.
As the condition progresses, you might experience severe pneumonia, sepsis, acute respiratory syndrome, and septic shock that cause death.
The condition is prevalent in people with an existing chronic condition, though it has also been seen to infect fully functional adults.
At the moment, we don’t have an exact treatment for this disease, which means that the best approach is to treat the signs that arise. Supportive care is also given for those that are infected.
Quarantine and Isolation
One of the solutions that have been fronted is the oldest medical procedures – quarantine and isolation. Those that are unlucky to have caught the disease might end up getting isolated involuntarily at a quarantine center. The good news is that this step reduces the spread of the virus.
The bad news is that the isolation comes with unwanted side effects such as anxiety, depression and stress.
The Effect of Isolation on Your Plans
When you are sick and in isolation as a result of coronavirus, you won’t be able to effectively handle your legal, financial and tax matters on your own. Who will go to pay your bills so that the bank doesn’t foreclose on your house? Additionally, who will take care of any other medical emergencies that you can’t handle when in isolation.Remember that you will be in isolation for a period of 14 days, even more. For people with a busy lifestyle and those that need to make decisions daily, then this can inconvenience you. This is why you need to have a POA.Many people think that since they are married, then their spouse automatically takes over the decision making process, but this isn’t the case. Some decisions need to be made by professionals and not just anyone.
The POA
The power of attorney is a document whereby you (grantor) assign powers (grants) to another person (agent) to act on your behalf when you are incapacitated, or you are unable to make the right decisions.
The POA comes in two varieties – financial and health-based. When tasked with handling health decisions, the agent will handle all the financial matters so that you don’t have to handle them when in quarantine.
When planning your estate, make sure you have this document. Sadly, many people overlook this document because they don’t understand it. The POA can be a simple 1-page or a complex document that you come up with. You need to draft this document with the help of a licensed estate planning lawyer.
The guidelines that govern the drafting of the POA vary from state to state, which means you need to be careful when coming up with one. Make sure you consult with a lawyer who is conversant with the state rules before you bring the document into effect.
Some states require you to file the document in a government office so that anyone that needs to use it can access it in the public office.
Who needs a POA?
While it is vital that any person aged 18 years or over should have a POA, it is more important when you are faced with a condition such as the coronavirus epidemic.
When you have been exposed to the virus or you live in an area that is suspected to be a hotspot for the virus, you have a higher chance to need the POA than someone who isn’t exposed to the virus.
Make sure you come up with the best description for the condition, and then come up with a few directives for the agent. The possible progression of the condition is what allows you to consider the allowances or limits on the power that you grant the agent.
When you go to draft the POA, you will be forced to use the right terms to make it valid. This is why it is vital that you do this in front of a professional lawyer. The lawyer will interpret the various terms that you will come across and this will make it easier for you to create the perfect plan that you need.
In Closing
When you are incapacitated, or in quarantine and you need to make decisions, it becomes hard. This is why you need to have a POA to pass the decision-making process to a person who can handle the decisions on your behalf. Take time to visit your estate planning lawyer to help you draft the right POA for your needs.
