Our family friends, two ladies have been together since their early 20′s and are now in their mid 60′s.  They knew when they got together they might never be able to be legally wed so they went before a judge and he granted them each power of attorney over each other which gives them the legal rights to make decisions for the other.  As they have said, it is not the same as marriage but it is something that can not be taken away from them.