My 43 year old husband had a stroke a few months ago and is still in the hospital. I have been able to make medical decisions and even sign the paperwork needed for him since this occurred. I have also been able to make government applications and interviews on his behalf, due to his inability to speak clearly or sign anything because he has paralysis. Although I have been allowed to do these things to apply for and/or get the services, I am unable to do anything or get any information once it's been completed. I have been told by one agency that he needs to be able to tell them that it's OK. Well, if he was able to speak I wouldn't have needed to do all those things in the first place. Is a power of attorney the solution for these situations or is there any other advice that you can provide? And if so, are there different kinds and what are the general fees for this? Thanks for your help.

Power of attorney can be either a general power of attorney for literally everything or a power of attorney for handling say the sale of a vehicle to someone else. In your case a general power of attorney would be what you need. You can have this prepared by attorney for very little $50 and have the attorney bring a notary to the hospital to have your husband's signature notarized properly. Or you can download a general power of attorney yourself, fill in his name, etc and have the notary who works for the hospital come into the hospital room and notarize his signature.