Types of power of attorney in Michigan
Most families need two documents: a durable financial power of attorney (covers banking, bills, taxes, real estate, benefits applications) and a health care power of attorney or advance directive (covers medical decisions if you cannot communicate). They are usually signed together.
"Durable" matters: a durable power of attorney stays in effect after the principal loses capacity. A non-durable one ends the moment capacity is lost, which is exactly when families need it most.
Why a generic online form is risky
Michigan has its own statutory form requirements, witnessing and notarization rules, and bank or facility acceptance practices. A generic form pulled from the internet may be rejected by the very institutions you need it for.
A local attorney also helps you think through harder questions: who is the backup agent, what powers should be limited (gifting, beneficiary changes), and how to handle disagreements between adult children.
When it is too late
A power of attorney can only be signed by an adult who still has legal capacity to understand it. Once a parent has progressed far into dementia or has been declared incompetent, they generally cannot sign a valid power of attorney, and the family may be looking at guardianship instead.
That is why elder law attorneys urge families to handle these documents before a diagnosis, not after.