Personal Injury Attorney

When you were young, your parents or caretakers attempted to shield and protect you from situations that could harm you. They often hovered over you until you completed tasks or reminded you over and over again until it was accomplished. As you get older and your parents, aunts, uncles, or loved ones age, the roles become reversed. The difference is that you are unable to provide the same approach to your parents when you are concerned for their health and wellbeing.

The Importance of Planning Ahead

Our society has taught our loved ones not to discuss their financials, last wishes, or any hard topic conversations that we actually need to talk about to ensure that things are in order for our family when they age. Before, conversations were kept secret so that we had a childhood and didn’t worry ourselves with adult problems. The growing trend is to push things aside and not deal with them until the time arises. Why not facilitate these conversations now, as uncomfortable as they may be, and avoid the turmoil later?

It is your job to ensure your loved ones’ safety and you now have become their guardian. As a parent, you never want to be a burden or admit that you need help or assistance, especially to your own children. Many people would rather contact a third party facility for assistance than burden their children with their worries or concerns. Have you ever wondered how you can assist with breaking this cycle? How can you effectively communicate with your parents that you are their biggest advocate, supporter, and you want to be their go-to person?

Hire a Lawyer to Help

A good lawyer will have first hand knowledge of having these difficult conversations with your loved ones. A law firm can assist with strategizing finances, planning for retirement, Medicaid, VA Benefits, wills, trusts, life planning document preparation, probate and estates, guardianships, and Social Security Disability.

A good firm will be an advocate or voice for your loved ones when it comes to elder law. Elder law consists of many different varieties of things such as demands for payment of loans, disputing power of attorneys, or medical power of attorneys due to mental capacity issues. Many law firms have a dedicated team of attorneys that pursue litigation cases for fraud, forgery, mismanagement of funds, durable power of attorney abuse, elder abuse, and overall civil rights for elders.

The best remedy with starting these types of conversations is to simply be honest, open, and direct. A listening ear and closed mouth at first often allows you to discover the most important first step — being heard. Taking the time to sit down with your loved ones and truly listen to their wishes is the biggest part in gaining trust and understanding of the situation. At some point, when dealing with dementia or Alzheimer’s, you are not able to do as they may direct you; however, hopefully by the time they are diagnosed you have already come up with a strategy as to financial planning and healthcare needs. It is always beneficial to consult with an attorney to seek the advice needed for your loved ones.

Planning for The Future

All of these areas of law have one thing in common — no one wants to plan for the inevitable. No one likes to discuss death or growing old. When was the last time you sat down for dinner with the family and discussed burial plots or your last wishes? The consensus would be unanimously across the board with a slim to none chance. Even in the line of work dealing with the elderly, some of the most awkward topics of conversation happen at the most inopportune times with family members.

For example, a client may be driving down the road and turn to their spouse and state, “I want lilies and white roses at my funeral!” The usual response is, “What is wrong with you?! Don’t say that.” Many people have rambled off so many different ideas that no one is going to remember them all, so you must compile a list of all their wishes down to the music, poems, colors of their attire, photos, and even fragrances they wish to wear. 

Working with an Attorney

A majority of people plan for graduations, weddings, birthdays, vacations, purchasing a home, and some even have the whole retirement thing accomplished. Yet, as a society, a majority of people do not want to discuss these difficult topics or sit down to plan for them. In dealing with wills, trusts, and life planning documents, attorneys and staff gather information to pass down to their loved ones once they are gone. They need to have difficult conversations when a client’s son or daughter contact the firm to inform them of their passing and need direction as to where to go from there. When dealing with probate and estates, they often contact the firm to probate the will or administer their trusts. In doing so, the firm gets the pleasure of letting them know what was discussed at their meetings. Many attorneys encourage their clients to write a little note to their loved ones or tell a joke that they would want to be shared with them. They may mention a  phrase that every member of the family knows them for making or a memory that they want to share with their family.

Often the saddest part of sharing these things is that a lot of the time clients state that they did not know these things about their loved ones lives. A common response is that, “They simply would not open up to us about these topics.” All you simply have to do is to stop and take the time to listen to them. Do not be afraid to ask questions or even show interest in planning for the future. With all the technology nowadays and society being so fast paced, you often forget to stop and have an actual conversation.

No one person is able to control their future of growing older, however you’re able to make your life plan unique by preparing an estate plan with an estate planning lawyer, like an estate planning lawyer in Arlington, TX. 

Thanks to Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC for their insight into taking care of your aging relatives and preparing an estate plan before they get older.