“I don’t want to be a burden” is a phrase I often hear from my Estate Planning clients. They don’t want to be a burden to their family or loved ones. They have seen how other seniors, whether they are friends or family, have been burdens to other family members who have taken on the physical, emotional or financial care of a senior.
My mom, as she started to age, told each of us adult children, “your father and I will never live with you. It would ruin your lives and end your marriages.” That was another way of my mother saying that she “did not want to be a burden.” Ways that seniors would not be a “burden” includes arranging to be in senior type communities that can provide appropriate assistance based upon their level of need and care. In addition, some will look at obtaining Long Term Care Insurance that will pay for some levels of care at home or if they are residing in a Retirement Center.
One of the most important things that one can do so that they are not a “burden” to their loved ones or friends, is to make sure that those loved ones and friends have legal authority to help them when they need help. This includes having legal authority to assist on health care matters. It also includes having legal authority to assist when that person passes on. Therefore their wishes and desires are carried out with as little work, Court costs and Taxes as possible.
At the Law Firm of Steven Andrew Jackson, Attorney and Counsellor at Law, we have helped hundreds of families protect themselves and their loved ones, avoid Estate Taxes and Probate Costs, and keep their Estate Plans current with the law through The Customized Protective Estate Planning Solution™.