What rights are given under a DNR?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What rights are given under a DNR?
My husband and I have been taking care of an elderly lady for about 7 months now. We had to put her in a nursing home because she could no longer take care of herself due to seizeures and other health problems. The nursing home wants us to sign a DNR on her but she has property she owns. If we sign these papers does that mean we have control over her and her stuff?
Asked on September 26, 2011 under Estate Planning, Florida
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You and your husband are very nice people to take care of her but does she have any family around at all? They need to come in to the picture now. a DNR is a Do Not Resuscitate Order. It is a document kept on file indicating the wishes of the patient regarding the right of the hospital or nursing home to try and resuscitate them in the event that they go in to cardiac arrest, etc. States such as New York require that they be on fie when a person is in a nursing care facility. This document does NOT give you any power under the law to control her or her belongings, especially the house. A guardian or conservator is needed here. Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.