Ageing Parents

Parents age, and being called upon to support ageing parents can take you by surprise.

At Mildwaters Byrth Lawyers & Conveyancers, we’re here to help you get matters in order so you and your parents can have peace of mind as you help them navigate through the senior years.

Helping ageing parents without interfering

Each of us at Mildwaters Byrth Lawyers & Conveyancers have an ageing parent or grandparent.

We understand the need to respect the wisdom and independence of our seniors while at the same time helping them to be prepared for the hiccups that ageing can bring.

Being prepared for the hiccups in life

There are times in life when we suffer from ill health or an accident, and sometimes this may even result in a hospital stay.

This stressful time can be so much easier for you and your parents, if proper arrangements are in place beforehand.

This means having an:

• Enduring Power of Attorney – this document appoints someone to pay your bills from your bank account and to manage your financial affairs if you become ill or have an accident
• Advance Care Directive – this document appoints someone to make personal decisions for you, such as where you might live and what medical treatment you might receive, if you become unable to make these decisions for yourself.

If you don’t have these documents in place and you suffer from an illness or have an accident and need someone to make decisions for you, then your family members will need to make an application to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to be appointed to make decisions on your behalf.

All this can be avoided by having a lawyer prepare these documents beforehand.

Being prepared for aged care

There are often ways in which your parents’ can change the structure of their assets to minimise aged care costs.  We can provide advice about any options available.

If one or both of your parents are considering entering aged care accommodation, we can help by providing them with advice about the documentation that requires signing.

Avoiding problems with estates

If someone passes away without a valid Will, this can cause huge problems for those left behind.

It can cause a significant delay in the administration of the estate and cost a lot more in legal fees than it otherwise would.

If your parents do not have a valid Will which is current and appropriate, then encourage them to talk to us.

We can prepare a Will for them to ensure that their estate is wound up with a minimum of fuss when the time comes.

 

Image: IMG_6332 by Miles Gehm via Flickr. CC BY 2.0