My mother is 76 years old and in the early to mid stage of Alzheimers. In the very near future I will need to take full control of her finances

You should contact an experienced estate planning attorney right away. By signing a power of attorney document, you mother is giving someone else authority to act on her behalf. She can give authority to someone else for financial or health-related decisions, or both. The authority that person will have depends on the language of the document. You mother must be competent to sign a power of attorney. An estate planning attorney will meet with your mother to make sure that she understands what it means to sign a power of attorney, and to determine if she is willing and able to sign the power of attorney. If you mother is unable to sign a power of attorney, then you will need to apply for guardianship. Your application must be filed in probate court in the county where your mother lives. A court will determine if your mother needs a guardian, and whether or not you are suitable to manage her affairs. If you are appointed guardian, you will be required to report to the court on a regular basis about how you are managing things for your mother. Tonya R. Coles Elder Law -- Estate Planning -- Probate www.tonyacoles.com