Your loved one has been diagnosed with a progressive disease, and you realize that you will be assisting with his or her care until the end of life.
What can you do to make your role easier down the road?
Here are three things that might be helpful to you.
- Number one on my list every time is to make sure your loved one has an updated financial power of attorney and an advance directive. If your loved one already has documents in place, obtain counsel from an elder law attorney to review them. Doing this step can save you from the burden, costs, stress and time of obtaining a guardianship from the court.
- HIPAA: Ensure that your loved one has signed HIPAA authorizations with each of his/her doctors so that if needed, you are able to speak with medical personnel and access health care information.
- Will/Trust: Determine whether your loved one’s Will or trust needs to be updated; Ask your loved to review these documents with their elder law attorney;