Each month we are finding errors in my 84 year old dad's checking account. He is leaving Pay to the order of line blank and then can't remember what the check was for. He puts one amount in the box on the check and another amount on the line, thusly shorting the company of the monthly bill. He has been late on bills. I have DPOA but Ameriprise investments won't recognize it without a doctor activating the medical POA, of which I am also his agent. My dad fails every memory test at each doctor appointment, yet the doctor has not yet activated it. My dad refuses to give me control voluntarily. He gets belligerent if I even suggest that I help him. When I confront him with the errors, he says "So I made a boo boo. Big deal" He is on a limited income, yet gives to any charity that asks. He has given me no money, but lied about sending $14,000 to a granddaughter who he hasn't seen in 20 years. How do I get the doctor to activate the medical POA so my dad can't fight me on this? He was diagnosed with dementia two years ago.
With our mother, we gradually moved everything to me over a period of a couple of months. I told her the bank needed a new signature card and got her to sign, then I signed it adding me to her checking account. I got new checks made with both our names on them.
We found a copy of each bill and sent a change of mailing address having future bills sent to me so I could pay them out of the account. Mom never noticed the bills had stopped coming to her. At the same time we opened a second checking account (with my sister as co-owner) and put a small amount in it from the first one and took away the other checkbook, telling her that this is a new checkbook cover and checks because the old one was getting worn out.
My sister's mailing address was used so she could balance it. Eventually there were no more bills coming in (which she didn't notice) and Mom was happy with "control" of the checking account for personal items (which were very few and we lied about the balance) She was in IL, and had few expenses, that goodness, so she didn't bounce checks.
Good luck.
That may not work for your father, but it might help get some of the problems taken care of until you can get a doctor to help you.
Angel