It may be not knowing what your elderly loved one
would want in a certain situation. It may be not knowing a piece
of important information and not being able to ask your spouse or
parent. Whatever it is that you "don't know," it makes being the
responsible one that much more difficult.
You may have vowed that you would never put your own children or
your spouse through the "not knowing" that you struggle with. As
gifts go, telling them everything they would need to know if you
were ever in the position of needing care is one of the best gifts
you will ever bestow.
One of the things we can never know is what the next hour will
bring. Accidents and illnesses happen, and not only to the
elderly. Before the unexpected happens, put together a "Where Is
It?" list and give a copy to the one you would want to be your
spokesperson should something happen to you. You will be giving
your loved ones the best gift you could ever give.
To help you get started, below are several important things to
identify. If you don't have them, this is the time to begin
setting up your affairs so your chosen advocate has everything
necessary to step in at a moment's notice
It's not necessary to give anyone your intimately personal
information now. The goal of this exercise is to tell them where
to find this information if and when it's needed, and You should
keep custody of your information until then.
Where Is..........
•
Your Social Security card?
•
Your health insurance or Medicare/Medicare
Supplement card?
•
Your military discharge document and any other important military
records?
•
Your birth/marriage/divorce/adoption document(s)?
•
The location of all your bank and investment accounts, with the
account numbers for each?
•
Health, life, automobile and residence insurance policies?
•
Deed and title to all property owned?
•
Durable Power of Attorney document?
•
Your Living Will and Health Care Power of Attorney?
•
Funeral or advance burial document(s)?
•
Your Will/Trust?
Copy this list and paste it into a Word document. Fill in the
appropriate location next to each entry. Add the location of any
other information you want your responsible person to be able to
find.
Now print out your document and give it to the person you've
chosen. Save the original so you can make changes as necessary.
It didn't cost you anything but a few minutes' time, and your tiny
investment may save someone hours, weeks or months of frustration
and uncertainty some day. Well worth it!
Want reciprocity from a parent, sibling or other loved one? Give
them a copy of your list, and use the moment to start a
conversation about where they have stashed their important
documents...just in case.
|
|
