Long COVID & Power of Attorney

Question: I was fully vaccinated and boosted for COVID, yet I still got it. Now that I have recovered, I am still fatigued, get short of breath easily, and have a foggy brain. Why is that?

The CDC recently reported on a large study conducted in the USA, where they used 30,000 people who received the vaccine. They found that "Long COVID" (lasting effects of the virus) can occur for months after recovering from COVID. Long COVID has lingering symptoms such as respiratory problems, loss of taste and smell, fogginess of thought and feelings of being tired and lethargic. You can get Long COVID whether you were vaccinated or not.

The Department of Veterans Affairs ran this study, and it showed that the vaccines were only 15% effective in stopping Long COVID from occurring. While the vaccines are effective at preventing death or serious illness from COVID, when it came to symptoms of Long COVID, they were much less effective.

Researchers said it was disappointing, as cases of Long COVID continue to grow in vaccinated people who still contracted the virus. The study showed that 1 in 5 American adults ages 18-65 who got COVID suffered from symptoms of Long COVID, while older Americans over the age of 65 have a 1 in 4 chance of having it.

I recommend that you get plenty of rest, exercise the best you can and eat healthy foods. Eat full meals, even if you cannot taste or smell your food. Your body needs the nutrients to recover. Make sure to stay hydrated. Make lists if you are being forgetful, so that you can use them to remind you of things you need to do. Staying social and active is very important for your mental health. Understand that you are not the only one that is going through Long COVID.

Question: I do not have any family to be my power of attorney. Both my husband and sister have passed away, and I never had any children. Who will legally handle my financial and healthcare decisions when I need help and can no longer do it for myself? Is there someone around here locally that might be able to help?

Many seniors are in your same position. Some seniors reach out to their pastors, neighbors and friends to be their power of attorney. However, being a power of attorney is very time consuming and burdensome. You want to make sure that whomever you choose is trustworthy, able and willing to have your wishes be granted.

Many seniors choose to hire professional fiduciaries. Fiduciaries fill many roles and are often appointed by courts to be conservators, trustees, personal representatives, guardians of estates, or agents under power of attorney. They are governed by state statue. Every county in California has a probate part of its superior court that oversees them.

Fiduciaries can serve as your trustee, personal representative, conservator and representative payee. There is a fee for their services, so make sure to check on their fee schedule.

As power of attorney, they can perform duties including making health care decisions, paying bills, filing taxes, and making placement and treatment decisions. They take your interest to heart and make sure your wishes are respected.

I am very familiar with Perine and Dicken Fiduciaries, due to the fact that they have represented many of our residents at Quail Park. They have a wealth of knowledge and many contacts. If you call them, they will be more than helpful in answering any concern you have. They can tell you how to get the process going to make you feel more comfortable planning your future.

You can also speak with your attorney to see what his suggestions might be. Attorneys have a huge resource of information that might also be able to guide you. Having options on who can fill in as your power of attorney and making those decisions, is a very important part of planning for your tomorrow.

Kimberly Jensen has been working with Quail Park as a Senior Resource Advocate for over ten years and has helped hundreds of families find solutions to their senior problems. If you have a question, you can send it to her at KimberlyJ@QPCypress.com or call (559) 737-7443.