A Helping Hand

More and more often we are seeing “solo agers” in need of a long term plan to address their needs. As you age these needs involve care coordination, bill pay, and property management so you can safely stay home. Who is going to check to see if it is time for a servicing by the plumber before things get bad, or for repairs after thing do? The supporting role is typically played by a spouse as long as possible, and local friends or family when it is not. But what about the solo ager?

These days it is common to have the children are scattered across the U.S., and the grandchildren with them. This leaves friends and family that are around the same age as the individual in need of a little help. Unfortunately that usually isn’t a practical solution. So whether you never had children, or they just are unable to help from a distance, what is one to do?

With a proper legal document you can entrust someone to help. Power of Attorney and/or a Trustee can get the bills paid. Living Will (also called Health Care Representative) can help with the doctors and caregivers. So you can legally give someone powers to help, and limit those powers so you still feel in control and comfortable. But the real question is who to name?

The most obvious answer is a conservatorship. This is someone appointed by the court to oversee your needs. The problem is that it means your own power to manage your life has been legally removed. The benefit is that unlike a Power of Attorney, a conservator has to report to the court about what they are doing. So someone is watching. But you lose power over yourself.

The less obvious answer is to turn to a trusted professional, or a group of them. The drawback is that there is a cost to hiring helping hands. The benefit is that you have a much better chance of having your wishes followed. Not all Elder Law Attorneys offer theses “full service” options, and you do not have to use an attorney either. But it is possible to ask the Elder Law Attorney to be your trustee. I have coordinated caregivers for client, paid their bills, filed their taxes, arranged to have the grass cut and the snow removed, bought groceries, arranged movers, garage and estate sales, and even arranged a funeral and picked out the etching on the gravestone. I did this with the help of care coordinators, property managers, and CPAs that I know and trust to get the job done right for a fair price.

This is not an option to consider lightly. You always have to get to know the person you decide to trust. But there are more options out there than you may have considered.

Attorney Halley C. Allaire is principal in the law firm of Allaire Elder Law, a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc., with an office at 271 Farmington Avenue, Bristol, (860) 259-1500, or on the web at www.allaireelderlaw.com. If you have a question, send a note to Attorney Halley C. Allaire and your question may be discussed in a future column.