Glossary

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Health and Disability, Elder abuse, Wills and Powers of Attorney, Wills, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, Power of Attorney for Property

A Power of Attorney for Personal Care is a legal document that lets you name someone to make decisions for you if you become mentally incapable. It’s sometimes called a “personal power of attorney”.

You’re called the grantor. The person you name is called your attorney.

Your attorney can make:

• decisions about your personal care, such as where you live, what you eat, getting dressed, washing and having a bath, and staying safe
• decisions about your health care that deal with:
  • health-care treatments
  • moving into a long-term care home
  • personal care services in a long-term care home

In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Health and Disability, Elder abuse, Wills and Powers of Attorney, Wills, Power of Attorney for Personal Care, Power of Attorney for Property

A Power of Attorney for Property is a legal document that lets you name someone to deal with your money and property. You’re called the grantor. The person you name is called your attorney.

Your attorney can make decisions, such as:

• doing your banking
• signing cheques
• buying, selling, or leasing real estate
• buying consumer goods and services

They cannot:

• make or change your will
• make or change who’s a beneficiary on your insurance policy or a registered plan, such as your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP)
• make a new Power of Attorney for you

A Power of Attorney for Property can start working as soon as you sign it. Or, you can set limits. For example, you can make a Power of Attorney that lets your attorney only sign documents that are needed to sell your home or that lasts only while you’re on vacation.

In Wills and Powers of Attorney

Probate is the process of applying to the court after a person dies, so that the court can confirm:

• that their will is valid, if they made one
• the person who is named as estate trustee can act

If the person did not name an estate trustee, or died without a will, someone may have to apply for probate and ask the court to become estate trustee.