End of Life Arrangements

Reading the NY Times articles, The Last Word on the Last Breath, is a great wake up call to those who have not thought about, or have been putting off arrangements for end-of-life. Yes, it is an unpleasant topic to discuss with your loved ones or to even to think about for yourself (who wants to be reminded they are not immortal) but it is necessary. Just like you plan for vacations 1 year (sometimes 2 years) in advance, or plan for retirement (or at least you should be planning for retirement), or even have your cemetery plot all picked out (yes, that grave plot in Hawaii overlooking the ocean was a great deal), you should also plan for end-of life--- wills (do you really want your family squabbling over that crystal vase you brought over from Italy?), living wills including do not resuscitate orders (no one wants to go through what Terry Schiavo’s family and her husband had to go through), power of attorney, etc.

Now that the holidays are approaching, you should sit down with your loved ones and discuss these arrangements. One good place to start researching is ElderLawAnswers. As one of our partners, Harry Margolis, Founder and President of ElderLawAnswers, will soon be blogging for CareTALK about any and all questions you may have regarding estate planning, living wills, etc.