​In hospice settings, the end-of-life journey is a delicate time that requires careful attention to various legal matters. National Make a Will Month emphasizes the importance of estate planning and end-of-life decisions. Mobile notaries play a crucial role during this period, ensuring that legal documents are properly executed, providing peace of mind to patients and their families. ​Hospice settings pose special challenges when it comes to legal matters. Patients are often too ill or immobile to visit a lawyer's office, making it difficult to execute essential documents like wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives.

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​Addressing Last-Minute Concerns

During the end-of-life journey, many patients may realize the need to formalize their final wishes. Mobile notaries provide a solution by offering convenient, in-home services for executing legal documents.

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The Role of Mobile Notaries in Hospice Settings: Mobile notaries bridge the gap between legal requirements and the limitations of hospice care. They travel to the patient's location, whether it's their home or a hospice facility, to facilitate the signing of important documents.

 

Ensuring Valid and Executable Documents: Mobile notaries ensure that documents are signed correctly and in compliance with state laws. This helps prevent potential challenges to the validity of the documents later on.

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Providing Emotional Support: Mobile notaries are often empathetic and understanding, recognizing the emotional weight of the decisions being made. Their presence can provide comfort, peace of mind for patients and families offering reassurance during the signing process.

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Easing Legal Concerns: Correctly executed notarizations create an easier path of process with legal documents after the loved one has passed. By offering on-site services, mobile notaries eliminate the stress of transportation and logistics for patients and their families. This ensures that critical legal matters are addressed without causing additional strain. ​The presence of a mobile notary can encourage open discussions among family members about end-of-life wishes. This helps prevent misunderstandings and conflicts later on.

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                             7 Steps for a Successful Hospice/Facility Notary Signing 

 

Step 1: Check Patient/Signer Has an Acceptable Form of ID: At the notary appointment, the patient/signer(s) are required to produce Unexpired, Government Issued, Photo Identification.  A Copy or photograph of ID is not permitted.  

 

Step 2: Prepare & Assemble Documents: Please have all documents requiring notarization prepared & assembled before notary arrives. 

A. Please do not sign, date, or fill out notarial certificate portion of the document. 

B. Make sure document matches the patient/signer ID 

C. Check their Requirements for signing: Some documents may require additional witnesses. 

 

Step 3: Determine Mental Ability to Sign: To ensure a successful notary appointment, the patient/signer will need to be awake, alert & aware of documents that they are signing. The signer cannot be under the influence of mind-altering substances such as anesthesia, alcohol, marijuana products, or mind alerting medications.  A notarization can by law, be refused for any patient/signer that appears to be mentally unsound, incapacitated or unduly pressured. Mind altering substances: medications, alcohol, etc., must be withheld 1 hour minimum, prior to notary arrival. 

 

Step 4: Determine Physical Ability to Sign: The patient/signer will need to be able to independently sign the document.  Unsteady or “messy” signatures can be notarized. If the patient is struggling with their signature, due to medical condition/weakened state, they can independently sign their name with an X or just a mark.  

  

Step 5: Determine if Witnesses are needed: Please read your document to determine whether you will need additional witness(es). Have any witnesses present and ready to produce valid ID before notary arrival. The notary is unable to act as one of these witnesses. The notary is required to verify ID, record the witness(s) via a notarial journal and obtain signatures from each. It is the responsibility of the person(s) requesting notarization to provide the witness(es). 

 Important notes regarding witnesses:  

        A - In most instances, witnesses cannot be related to by blood or marriage, benefit from or named in the documents(s) being signed. 

        B - Please check with facility staff before notarization. Many facilities have policies that prohibit staff from acting as witnesses due to                      legal/liability concerns should they arise during probate.   

 

Step 6: Schedule Your Notary Appointment:  *Please Read Terms of Service & Obligation of Legal Notice:  Once you have reviewed the steps above, please schedule a mobile notary appointment by calling 419-855-2495 Toledo  or 614-468-3049 Columbus or by booking online. 

  

Step 7. Set the patient/signer up for success: Ensure the patient/signer is comfortable & has any personal items readily available to them to ease the process of notarization: Identification, eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures, purse/wallet.  For the non-mobile clients, we can come directly to the bedside. For those who are mobile/wheelchair & in a care facility, you may want to utilize the common area.  These areas usually have tables that the signer/notary/witnesses can spread out if there are multiple documents or extra witnesses needed. Make copies, give to person(s) or entity requesting documents, keep originals in a safe place. Sharp Seal Notaries carry clipboards, magnifying items, signature assistance cards, oversized pens & thumbprint ink to assist our clients in the signing process.  

  

FOR YOUR SAFETY PLEASE READ - LEGAL OBLIGATION DISCLAIMER & WAIVER:  

The notary is not an attorney. By law, I/we cannot advise, answer document questions, direct or guide you in any way regarding how to fill out, prepare, documents or forms. It is our duty to reasonably establish identity and ability/willingness to sign. We, by law, are unable to notarize blank documents, and we are not responsible for the use or misuse of documents nor are we responsible for documents that are filled out incorrectly including documents that may be unusable by the party(s) requesting the documents. These successful steps for signing are based on Secretary of States laws regarding notarizations. If you have any questions regarding a document’s meaning, application, preparation, legal consequences, etc., you will need to consult an attorney of your choice, or the person or entity requesting the document.  

Sharp Seal Notary LLC Copyrighted – Cannot be reproduced without authorization. 

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Call text or schedule an appointment online to make your important end of life documents notarized.

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Click here for printable Hospice readiness checklist 

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