Has your aging parent recently been diagnosed with cancer? A diagnosis of cancer can be shocking to your aging parent and to your entire family. Truly life can change in a matter of minutes with a diagnosis of cancer.
Now that your aging parent is facing a cancer diagnosis, we know there are many questions you have started to ask. Your questions may include, but not be limited to, any of the following:
- What is the prognosis of the diagnosis?
- Who else knows or should know?
- Who should make the health care decisions of your aging parent if they cannot?
- What are the costs of the treatment and will insurance help?
- Does your aging parent have any Florida estate planning, including advanced directives?
- Is your aging parent’s estate planning up to date and does it reflect his or her current wishes?
- Can your aging parent live independently or will he or she need more help?
When your aging parent is facing cancer there is so much that needs to be planned for to best help him or her. Beyond the health care needs of your loved one, you want to make sure the future of your aging parent is planned for as well. We highly recommend that it start with Florida estate planning and making sure there are clear instructions on what your aging parent wants. Just a few of the questions a Florida estate plan can answer are:
- Again, who will make decisions about health care if your aging parent is incapacitated?
- Who will make the financial decisions?
- Is there a backup decision maker if the primary cannot act?
- Who should inherit from your aging parent and what are the goals for the legacy he or she wants to leave?
- Should life sustaining procedures be withheld or exhausted?
- Who will have the legal authority to apply for government benefits, if they are accessible?
There is absolutely no substitute for the guidance of an experienced Florida estate planning attorney at a time like this. It is vital that you get the guidance you need sooner rather than later. Your aging parent’s Florida estate planning attorney will be able to help your aging parent answer these questions and so many more to protect himself or herself and your family.
We know this article may raise more questions than it answers. At the Perlin Estate Planning & Probate our credentials enable us to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to our legal services. By building relationships with our clients, we are also able to understand each client’s needs and desires, and we support such goals through thoughtful, comprehensive planning techniques. We encourage you to contact us and schedule a meeting.