Anyone who was around in the mid-80s will recognize this refrain and know exactly how to answer this question. But when someone you love is sick or needs help and you don’t know HOW to help them, who ARE you gonna call?
Recently, an elderly member of my family had to be hospitalized and then moved to a rehabilitation facility for further care and physical therapy. As can happen when dealing with a senior, there are unknowns involved. Can they overcome their medical issues one more time? Will they be able to live on their own when the crisis has passed? What kind of help will they need? What will that help cost and how will it be paid for?
Having worked at the Law Offices of Mark E. Lewis & Associates for nearly 15 years, I’ve seen our attorneys walk many families through the planning and decision points of similar situations. And yet, when it came to my own family, I still needed to call Mark to ask questions and gain clarity about my family’s options.
WHAT IF? As that question replays in your mind, you can’t help but envision multiple scenarios that all end in valid questions about how bills will be paid, medical decisions addressed, and wishes realized.
If there are decisions to be made and siblings have different opinions, it adds tremendous stress to an already difficult time. If your loved one needs to be moved to a different level of care, who pays for all the expenses involved while the family waits for access to funds? What happens to belongings like cars or jewelry when no specific instructions were given? Knowing who has authority and what the limits are can be quite tricky.
Unfortunately, my family member of concern was unwilling to create an estate plan, which would have provided clear answers to all of our questions. Fortunately, the siblings are getting along and working well together (so far). Of course, as I have seen for 15 years, this is often not the case. The passing of a loved one brings up intense emotions and unearths all kinds of thoughts and behaviors from relationships past.
As I have witnessed for many years, a skilled attorney knows how to both prepare and advise you while navigating these murky waters. I’m so grateful to have someone in my circle that I trust and who knows the answers to all of my questions (including the ones I don’t even know to ask). This situation has reminded me of how important the work that our law firm does for clients becomes in this stage of life.
So, I am taking the opportunity now to remind you, reader: prepare ahead of time with a solid estate plan so that your family has clear instructions about how to advocate for you. And when the time comes (and it will!) reach out to a caring estate planning attorney with more than 25 years of experience to receive assurance, answers to your questions, and help navigating your situation. In other words, call Mark E. Lewis!
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