Here’s something most parents don’t find out until it’s an emergency: the moment your child turns 18, you no longer have the automatic legal right to make medical or financial decisions for them — even though they’re still on your insurance, still in school, and still very much your kid.
If an 18-year-old ends up in the ER, a hospital can legally decline to share information with you or let you make decisions, because your adult child is now their own decision-maker in the eyes of the law. The fix is simple, inexpensive, and takes one short appointment.
The documents that restore your ability to help
There are three worth having in place before your new adult heads off to college or a first job:
- HIPAA authorization — lets doctors share your child’s medical information with you. Without it, you can be left in the dark during exactly the moment you most need information.
- Advance healthcare directive (healthcare power of attorney) — names you (or another trusted person) to make medical decisions if your child can’t, and states their wishes.
- Durable (financial) power of attorney — lets you handle practical financial matters — a tuition bill, a bank issue, a lease — if your child is incapacitated or simply unreachable abroad.
Together these take you from “legally a stranger in an emergency” back to “the parent who can step in.”
Which of these need to be notarized?
The healthcare directive and the financial power of attorney are the ones you’ll typically want notarized in California so they’re accepted without question. Notarization confirms your child signed willingly, in person, with valid ID — which is exactly what a hospital or bank wants to see before honoring the document.
A notary makes the signing official — she can’t tell you which document to use or draft it for you. Many families use an estate-planning attorney or a reputable legal document service to prepare the forms, then have a notary handle the signing.
How the appointment works
It’s quick. Your 18-year-old needs to:
- Be present in person (they’re the one granting the authority, so they sign)
- Bring valid, unexpired photo ID
- Bring the completed documents, unsigned — they sign in front of the notary
That’s it. See the full checklist here.
Why parents book a mobile notary for this
Life with a new adult is busy — summer before college is a blur, and getting everyone in one place at a notary’s office is its own project. A mobile notary comes to your kitchen table at a time that works, gets all the signatures handled in one sitting, and you cross it off the list. Kristin does these signings for San Diego families all the time.
Do it before they leave
The best time to handle this is before your child moves away — while they’re still home and you can sit down together. Ten minutes now can save you from a helpless phone call later.
Call (619) 300-2842 and Kristin will come to you anywhere in San Diego County. One short visit, and it’s done.