Who is the best person to sign as the "responsible party" for my mother's assisted living facility?

Your mom's agent for property management is the person that she appointed to act on her behalf should she become incapacitated. That means that her agent is the person who See also:
How do I get a power of attorney without my parent's signature?

See all 571 questions about Legal and Financial Planning for Eldercare is designated to act as her financial advocate. While these documents vary in scope, most agents would have the authority to pay bills and take care of other property-related matters.

The agent, however, is spending your mother's money. And an agent's personal resources are separate from any bills your mother might incur.

If the assisted living facility is asking for someone to be personally liable for any bills that your mother can't pay, which it has a legal right to do, that's a different matter entirely from acting as an agent under a power of attorney.

If the person designated in the power of attorney also signs on as "responsible party" with the facility, but agrees only to supervise the care rather than to be financially responsible, he or she should be sure to indicate that on the form. The facility might not accept that, however, and demand that someone sign who is willing to take personal responsibility for the bills. This is unlike the procedure for nursing homes, which are forbidden by law from requiring a responsible party.

Finally, you may want to get someone to sign on as an "advocate" with the assisted living facility, which entails different duties than financial responsibility.

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