Christopher B. Kroll & Associates – Elder Law Solutions

You find yourself single again – perhaps through a divorce or the death of your spouse.   This is a difficult time emotionally. You may be weary of court proceedings and legal matters – however, you must give attention to estate planning matters.

Your single status affects:

• Your real estate.  You now own your property alone.  There are inheritance issues which much be addressed – you no longer have the protection of joint with the right of survivorship.

• Your will.  If you have an existing Will, it needs to be changed.  This is especially true if you are divorced.  You will now need to specify new primary beneficiaries of your estate and name new personal representatives.  If you never had a Will, it is particularly important to establish one now – there is no joint ownership now.  Who will be your heirs?

• Your trust .  As with your Will, you must change your trust after a divorce to reflect your single status and specify beneficiaries and successor trustee(s).  If you are recently widowed, you need to sit down examine what the status of all provisions in the trust are, which need to be changed, which can be changed.

• Guardianship designations.  You should designate your preference for guardian and conservator for your children if you are incapacitated or die.

• Your Powers of Attorney.  You will need to designate new agents under your Durable Power of Attorney (for legal affairs) and under your Designation of Patient Advocate (Durable Power for Health Care.

It is important for you to sit down with an Estate Planning Attorney and address these important issues which affect you today and tomorrow.  You owe it to yourself to find out what impact becoming “suddenly single” has had on your estate planning matters and how you can plan for the future.

     Elder abuse affects hundreds of thousands of senior citizens annually.  Seniors can be harmed physically or emotionally by neglectful or overwhelmed caregivers or preyed upon financially by strangers, family, or friends.  As elders become more physically frail, they’re less able to stand up to bullying and or  fight back if attacked. They may not see or hear as well or think as clearly as they used to, leaving openings for unscrupulous people to take advantage of them.

     The first agency to respond to a report of elderly abuse, in most states, is Adult Protective Services (APS). Its role is to investigate abuse cases, intervene, and offer services and advice.  The power and scope of APS varies from state to state. In Michigan, you can call 1-800-996-6228 for reporting elder abuse in the home, in the community, or in nursing homes and other longterm care facilities.

Laughter truly is the best medicine…..

     Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, live in a house together. One night the 96-year-old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the other sisters,  ’Was I getting in or out of the bath?’ The 94-year-old yells back, ‘I don’t know. I’ll come up and see.’ She starts up the stairs and pauses
 ’Was I going up the stairs or down? The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters, she shakes her head and says, ‘I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood.’ She then yells, ‘I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.’

And another chuckle….

     Two elderly ladies had been friends for many decades. Over the years, they had shared all kinds of activities and adventures. Lately, their activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play cards.  One day, they were playing cards when one looked at the other and said, ‘Now don’t get mad at me … I know we’ve been friends for a long time, but I just can’t think of your name! I’ve thought and thought, but I can’t remember it. Please tell me what your name is.  Her friend glared at her.  For at least three minutes she just stared and glared at her. Finally she said, ‘How soon do you need to know?’