What If My Loved One Is in the Hospital and Needs a Document Notarized?
What If My Loved One Is in the Hospital and Needs a Document Notarized?
When a loved one is in the hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation facility, or another care setting, getting important paperwork completed can suddenly become complicated.
You may be dealing with doctors, nurses, family members, insurance companies, and a long list of things that need your attention.
Then someone tells you:
“This document needs to be notarized.”
So what do you do?
A mobile notary may be able to come to you.
Instead of transporting your loved one to a notary's office, a mobile notary can travel to an agreed location such as a hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation facility, or other care setting.
At Magnolia Signature Services, I provide mobile notary appointments throughout Panama City and surrounding Bay County communities.
What should you have ready?
Before scheduling a mobile notary appointment, make sure you have:
The complete document that needs to be notarized
Acceptable identification for the signer
Any witnesses required for the document
A location where the signer can comfortably meet with the notary
Any instructions provided by the attorney, healthcare professional, title company, financial institution, or other professional who prepared the document
Do not sign the document before the notary appointment if the document requires notarization and the signer has been instructed to sign in the notary's presence.
What about a Power of Attorney?
Power of Attorney documents are one example of paperwork that may require notarization.
Florida law provides specific execution requirements for a Power of Attorney, including the principal's signature, two subscribing witnesses, and acknowledgment before a notary.
That means it's important to have the correct document and required witnesses ready before the notary arrives.
If the person who needs to sign is physically unable to sign, Florida law also provides a specific procedure under which the notary may sign the person's name at their direction, with two disinterested witnesses present and additional requirements.
What if my loved one has had a stroke or is confused?
This is an especially important question.
A notary cannot simply notarize a document because a family member says it needs to be done.
Florida law prohibits a notary from notarizing a signature when the person appears to be mentally incapable of understanding the nature and effect of the document at the time of notarization.
If there are questions about the person's ability to understand the document, speak with the attorney or professional who prepared the document before scheduling the notarization.
A notary's role is to perform the notarial act—not to provide legal advice or determine whether a document is appropriate for your particular situation.
Need a mobile notary at a hospital or care facility?
If your loved one needs a document notarized while receiving care, contact Magnolia Signature Services before the appointment.
I'll help you understand what is needed for the notarization itself, confirm the appointment details, and travel to the agreed location.
Professional mobile notary services throughout Panama City and Bay County, Florida.
Hospitals • Nursing Homes • Rehabilitation Facilities • Homes • Offices
Magnolia Signature Services provides notary services only and does not provide legal advice.
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