{"id":13412,"date":"2018-02-26T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-02-26T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=13412"},"modified":"2018-02-22T10:52:36","modified_gmt":"2018-02-22T16:52:36","slug":"parents-important-documents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2018\/02\/parents-important-documents\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Are All Your Parents’ Important Documents?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where Are All Your Parents’ Important Documents?<\/h1>\n

Middle-aged adults I’ve asked about elder care say one of the biggest questions they have for their senior parents is, \u201cWhere are all the important documents?\u201d That’s because helping a parent through a health crisis without access to their advance medical directives can be frustrating. Planning a funeral without knowing what a parent would have wanted can be an exercise in self-doubt. Serving as executor of a disorganized estate can require many hours to track down and organize a parent’s crucial documents.\"Where<\/p>\n

Here are some ideas for identifying and organizing the documents your family will need for estate planning, hospitalizations and memorial services. If your parents don’t want to think about end-of-life planning \u2014 which is understandable \u2014 you may want to point out that it can help you take care of them by keeping their bills paid and their home and pets cared for if they’re ever too ill to do those things for themselves. You can also lead by example by getting your own paperwork together while you help your folks with theirs.<\/p>\n

Paperwork for Health Emergencies or Incapacity<\/h2>\n

When people think of advance directives and power of attorney, they often think about high-profile cases where families fight over the fate of a loved one on life support who has little chance of recovery. There are, however, more common, less dramatic reasons to get your legal ducks in a row before a health crisis.<\/p>\n

For instance, if your widowed mom is hospitalized after a fall and then spends several weeks at inpatient rehab, who will keep her insurance premiums, rent and utility bills current during that time? Do you know who to pay? Whose money will you use?<\/p>\n

If you can’t access your mom’s accounts and don’t have enough money to cover her expenses plus your own, she could come home to late fees, turned-off utilities and stress when she should be recuperating. An\u00a0advance health care directive<\/strong><\/a>, which outlines your parents’ health care wishes, and a\u00a0durable power of attorney<\/strong><\/a>, which appoints someone to carry out your parents’ wishes if they can’t, can help your family avoid this kind of situation and ensure that your parents get the kind of care they want.<\/p>\n

Creating Advance Directives and Powers of Attorney<\/h3>\n

The exact names and formats of these documents vary from state to state. You can use the American Bar Association’s free advance directive form<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0(valid in all states except Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin) or follow their links to your state’s forms. In general, these are forms you can print and sign on in front of a notary public and\/or witnesses. If you have any questions, it’s a good idea to talk to your family attorney.<\/p>\n

Where to Keep Advance Directives<\/h3>\n

Where should your folks keep their advance directives and power of attorney forms once they’re notarized and signed? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid recommend that you\u00a0keep your original advance directive where you can easily find it<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 a clearly marked file at home, for example. Other copies should go to:<\/p>\n