How to broach the subject of POA

[HealthTestsAnxiety]

Just that really. I'm wanting to raise this with DM, she's in 70s, not overly well, lives alone but independent at the moment.
She had to get poa for her DF when he was alive and it was difficult due to a stroke so I know she will understand but she's also hugely anxious and I don't want her to be hurt, think she's a burden or worry that I think she's incapable of living alone or indeed that she won't live much longer.
Does anyone have any kind ways to approach this?
thanks

We told the PIL that we were doing it for each other when doing our wills (true), and wondered if they'd thought about it too. Also made it clear it was absolutely only for dire situations (eg they had fallen under a bus and were in a coma) on a temporary basis. And I led the discussion, not DH, because MIL takes that kind of thing better from me.

Approach it from the viewpoint that a POA will detail your parent’s wishes in the future and as such it will enable you to make sure her wishes are carried out.
I helped my MIL to do hers. We sat down together and looked at the form online, focussing on the bits about her wishes financially and health wise.

We did it for mum soon after dad died.
I explained that it was insurance for the future. Hopefully never to be needed but if she were to be ill we could still pay bills for her etc. We also did it for DH and me at the same time (nominating our DC).
She was happy to go ahead and I did it all myself.
She died 11 years later and we never needed the financial one because she had capacity to the very end but we did need the health and welfare one in her last few months when GP surgery were being difficult.

I asked my DM if she would 'consider' doing one so it would already be in place if it was ever needed in the future. I didn't need an instant answer and it gave her control over the decision. We didn't need to use it for 13 years when she had a stroke and her life changed overnight.

I'd told her a friend's story of having to go to court to access money every time she needed to buy her mum some clothes or just the daily basics.

I told my parents that I would always be there to help and support them but I did not want to manage chaos. There was an article about POA in one of the weekend broadsheet newspapers. I left it with them to read. A week later they called and asked me to sort it out! In later years I am so grateful we had that conversation mainly because of dementia

Sensible people get their POA sorted when they're still able to help with the process, it's not fair to leave it all to you when it becomes an urgent requirement and is complicated with requiring Court of Protection involvement.

Pitch it as her doing you a favour, in other words.

My DDad had Alzheimer’s and lack of any POA was a problem. Mum decided to change her Will when he wasn’t well, and the solicitor suggested POA to her, which I supported as I was thinking the same thing. Mum was happy to go with it, she did not want me to be left mopping up the mess DDad left for her.

make sure it’s POA for health and wealth.

I told my parents that I never wanted to have to use it, and it would hopefully suit in a drawer for the rest of their lives. But that if, for example, they needed care and I couldn't access their bank account to pay for it, did they want me to have to remortgage to pay their living costs that they have the money for, just because they hadn't dealt with some paperwork? 3 years on, DPs in mid 80s and POAs in the drawer still.

I was really blunt with my dad. I went along the lines of: we need to have the crappy conversation now while you are well so we don't have to worry about it in 20 years time (he's in his 70s, so unlikely to be that long, but didn't want to be too brutal!) I also pointed out we'd found it hard to figure it all out when mum died, so I really didn't want a repeat.

thank you everyone

I did mine at the same time. It effectively shot all mum's arguments down (I'm too young, it's a waste of money, what if you sell my house) because everything she said applied equally to me.

The solicitor who helped DH with the PIL's ones sketched out various scenarios. Apparently one of them was this: if you could no longer live at home, would you rather your son decided where you should live in the future, or the council decide? that seemed to strike a chord.
But using scenarios about paying their bills if they were in hospital seems to work with other people, so I've heard.

Failed miserably over 20 times. Became a battle. But if had to do it all again I’d go straight to @Knotaknitter suggestion. DF died unexpectedly while DM was under section. No POA. We are the example all my friends and neighbours use to scare their families and we have aided 15 POAs signed 😀