SPAULDING REHAB · BEDSIDE NOTARY
Notary at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Need a document signed by a patient at Spaulding in Charlestown? We come to the bedside, often the same day and with witnesses when needed. After a stroke, spinal cord injury or brain injury, many Spaulding patients can’t sign normally, and we handle signature by mark regularly.
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Bedside notary visits
Same-day and 24-hour appointments
- Powers of attorney and health care proxies
- Wills and estate documents
- Witnesses arranged if needed
- Signature by mark when needed
Visiting Spaulding for a notary
Address
300 1st Avenue, Charlestown, MA 02129, in the Charlestown Navy Yard.
Visiting hours
11am–8pm.
Getting there
Parking below the hospital. Spaulding Express shuttle from North Station during weekday commute hours, Ferry F4 from Long Wharf, and Bluebikes.
Patient and Family Relations
617-952-5349 · SRNPFR@mgb.org
From Spaulding’s official website, November 2026. Policies change, so check with the unit before the visit. We’re an independent notary service, not affiliated with Spaulding.
How a bedside visit at Spaulding works
- 1
Call or request a visit
Tell us the patient’s name, unit and room if you know them, and what’s being signed. We confirm what’s needed, including witnesses.
- 2
Get the document ready
Complete and unsigned, with no blank spaces, plus the patient’s current photo ID.
- 3
We meet you on the unit
We park below the hospital and meet you on the patient’s floor, scheduling around therapy sessions.
- 4
Notarized at the bedside
The notary confirms identity and willingness, watches the signing and completes the notarization.
Spaulding visits, in detail
Spaulding patients spend much of the day in therapy, so the best time for a signing is usually between sessions, when the patient is rested. Ask the care team for the schedule and we’ll plan around it.
Many Spaulding patients are recovering from a stroke, spinal cord injury or brain injury, and some can’t write their full name. Massachusetts allows a signature by mark with two unaffected witnesses, or, if the patient can’t make any mark, the notary can sign at their direction. We can bring both witnesses.
Spaulding has a Patient and Family Resource Center on the first floor, and its Patient and Family Relations team can help with questions about the hospital’s process.
Before the visit at Spaulding
- Schedule between therapy sessions
- Tell us if the patient may need to sign by mark, so we bring witnesses
- Bring the patient’s current photo ID
- Ask the nurse when the patient is usually most alert, and avoid times right after pain medication if possible
- If the document needs witnesses, tell us. We can bring them, since hospital staff often can’t serve
Which documents need a notary?
| Document | Signing requirements in Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Durable power of attorney | Usually notarized, and it must be acknowledged before a notary to be used for real estate. Banks often insist on notarization too. |
| Health care proxy | Signed in front of two adult witnesses; the agent can’t be a witness. A notary isn’t required, but some families add one. |
| Will | Signed with at least two witnesses. A self-proving affidavit, signed before a notary, makes probate easier. |
| MOLST form | A medical order completed with the patient’s clinician. It doesn’t need a notary. |
| Affidavits and real estate documents | Signed before a notary with a jurat or acknowledgment. |
We’re notaries, not lawyers. Ask the attorney who prepared the document if you’re unsure what it needs.
When the patient can’t sign normally
After a stroke, with paralysis, a serious injury or memory loss, many patients can’t write their full name. Under the Massachusetts notary law, M.G.L. c. 222, § 15(f), a notary may certify a signature by mark, such as an X, when the patient makes the mark in front of the notary and two witnesses who are unaffected by the document, and both witnesses sign their own names beside the mark.
If the patient can’t make any mark, § 15(g) lets the notary sign the patient’s name at their direction, in front of the patient and two unaffected witnesses, and write beneath it that the signature was affixed by the notary in their presence.
Identification follows § 1 (a current government-issued photo ID with a signature, a credible witness, or the notary’s personal knowledge), and § 16 requires the notary to refuse if there’s compelling doubt the signer understands the document or is signing willingly. It also bars refusing someone solely because of a disability or age.
Read our full guide to signature by mark, and download the signature-by-mark instructions and notarial certificate (PDF).
Related
Sources
- Mass General Brigham: visitor policy
- Mass General Brigham: directions and parking
- Mass General Brigham: Patient and Family Relations
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 15: notarial certificates, signature by mark and signature by the notary
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 1: satisfactory evidence of identity
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 16: when a notary must refuse
Frequently asked questions
My father had a stroke and can’t sign. Can he still sign a power of attorney?
Often, yes, if he can understand the document and confirm he wants to sign. Massachusetts allows a signature by mark with two unaffected witnesses, or the notary can sign at his direction if he can’t make a mark. We bring the witnesses.
Does Spaulding have a notary for patients?
Spaulding’s website doesn’t describe a notary service for patients’ personal documents, and hospital staff usually can’t notarize them. A mobile notary comes to the bedside at a time that works for the patient, the family and the unit.
Does the notary count as a visitor?
Usually yes. Plan who will be in the room, and if witnesses are needed, tell the nurse ahead of time.
What ID does the patient need?
A current government-issued photo ID with a signature. A hospital wristband or medical record isn’t acceptable ID in Massachusetts. If the ID is at home, ask a family member to bring it.
What if the patient can’t sign their name?
Massachusetts allows a signature by mark, such as an X, with two unaffected witnesses. If the patient can’t make any mark, the notary can sign at their direction, also with two witnesses. We can bring witnesses.
Can the notary decide whether the patient is competent?
No. A notary confirms identity and that the signer understands and is signing willingly. If there’s compelling doubt, the notary can’t proceed. If capacity is in question, talk with the medical team and the attorney first.
How quickly can you come?
Often the same day, and we’re available 24 hours a day by appointment. Call 617-203-8755 for urgent requests.
Need a notary at Spaulding?
Tell us the unit and what’s being signed. We’ll confirm everything before we arrive.