Estate Planning: 5 Strategies To Start The Conversation With Our Aging Parents
By Shannon Miller, Esq. Estate planning and advance directives can be difficult topics for our aging parents. Eileen’s story will outline how to get the conversation started. Eileen contacted me to discuss concerns about her aging parent’s estate plan. She had no idea what her parent’s assets were, how the assets were titled, or if they even had an estate plan, power of attorney, or advance directives. She wasn’t sure if her parents had $100,000 or $10 million because they were very private about their...
Read MoreHealth Care Agent: Who Not To Choose
Carefully Select Your Health Care Agent by Shannon Miller, Esq. Since aging is inevitable along with the physical, mental and emotional changes that come with it, we must be prepared to take care of business if we become incapacitated. I believe that everyone deserves an end of life that is defined by them and in order for this to happen, you must have some legal documents in place. Having a well thought out plan listing who you want to act in your stead (your agent) and the guidelines you wish to be followed are outlined in...
Read MoreEnd of Life Options: New Developments
This past week we saw a few developments involving end of life options, one a local story and the other a national story out of California. Our job is to keep you informed of issues impacting us as we age so we can be prepared, take action, and experience the quality of life we desire. A Local End of Life Story “After enduring great physical pain for several years, Jean lost the strength to keep on living … And, Joe, watching his beloved Jean suffer, was unable to imagine life without her; so they both chose to end...
Read MoreRight To Die or Right To Choose?
An Important End of Life Question A provoking conversation with NPR’s host Diane Rehm about her husband’s battle with Parkinson’s Disease. When John Rehm could not legally receive medical aid to die comfortably, he followed his doctor’s suggestion and starved himself to death. The experience set Rehm on a path to better understanding medically assisted death and the right to die, which is only legal in a handful of states. Rehm is also preparing to retire this fall, after she turns 80. Her new book is “On My...
Read MoreEnd-of-Life Conversations: Difficult for Doctors Too
We all know end-of-life discussions are difficult for families. We recognize National Healthcare Decisions Day to bring awareness to advance care planning and encourage patients to express their wishes regarding healthcare and for providers and facilities to respect those wishes, whatever they may be. And the urgency for these end-of-life conversations is sooner rather than later. Doctors Struggle With End-of-Life Discussions NPR presents an article that tells the other side of the story: the struggle for the doctors that...
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