In the end, you left the safe wide open and your father was walking around with $1200 in cash in his pocket.
After five attempts to get into the safe that your father and his third wife kept in the roughed in storage space in the garage, you were finally able to literally crack the code needed to see the contents. The cash that your father had thought had been stolen was inside, as well as the will that he had redrafted just five years ago. There were also land deeds to small pieces of property that he owned around town and other various kinds of papers that he felt were important.
This has been one of the most challenging weeks in recent memory. After several confusing phone calls with your father, you finally decided that you needed to spend some one on one time with him going over important information about his wishes, his health, and the documentation of important decisions about immediate health care needs and long term skilled care options. From early morning conversations about the location of his will to late afternoon near arguments about the use of a home safe or a bank safe deposit box, the topics that you addressed were often circular and confusing even for you. For your father, who was often increasingly agitated as the day wore on, he would sometimes seem content and thankful that you had taken the time to visit and take care of some of these details, while at other times he was simply agitated and angry.
Estate Planning Attorneys and Lawyers Offer Services That Can Help Families Understand Important Transitions That Need to be Made
Over the course of most of five days you and your father had a number of important conversations. You fear, however, that once you left, your father would forget some of the details and find himself wondering why the safe was open, worrying about the missing $1200 in cash that he would surely stash in some forgotten place, and worrying again where the copy of his will was located.
Aging is not always easy, and when memory issues begin to surface, the stress that families face with an aging parent can be a real challenge. Unfortunately, most families do not force themselves to take the time to have these important conversations when everyone is of sound mind and body. Too often, in fact, families are dealing with the details about finances and long term care coverage at the same time an aging parent or grandparent are in the throws of memory issues.
Consulting lawyers about the need for the proper paperwork is important, but it is a reality that many families need to face if they want to avoid even more strained and difficult conversations later on. With the right legal assistance from family and estate lawyers many families can prepare themselves ahead of time so that the stress of dealing with an aging parent is not complicated by the need for emergency decisions. Even the decisions about property in a second or third marriage can more easily be navigated if lawyers are consulted sooner rather than later.
Did you know, for instance, that the Spousal Right of Election entitles a spouse to claim 335 of the estate of his or her spouse? Knowing what laws are in place and will take effect when there is no will is as important as drafting the necessary papers.
There are many times in life when the help of lawyers is important. From the knowledge of the fact that child support is payable until the child turns 21 years old to knowing what kinds of end of life papers you should have on file, it is important to know that there are times when paying for legal advice is in your best interest.
Relationships in families are not always easy, but if you take the time to have necessary conversations when everyone is calm you can avoid some of the stresses that are associated with aging. And while there are many times when families are not able to reach all of the decisions that need to be made, involving an estate planning lawyer or other legal representative can help you make the best decisions.