Incapacity. For many people, it’s not something they want to discuss, never mind prepare for. Some people trust in their families or the government to look after them while others are simply confident it will never happen to them. In the end though, there is only one person responsible for making your wishes known: You.
Incapacity can strike at any age but the likelihood increases as you get older. It could quite likely occur to you or someone you care about.
We believe it is important to plan for all eventualities. Having clear instructions for how you want to be treated in case of incapacity gives peace of mind to both you and your caregivers.
As part of the planning process, we suggest the following:
- Document your wishes and discuss them with your doctor and your family. Help them to understand your wishes around caregivers, long-term and palliative care, and end-of-life memorial (if any)
- At a minimum, ensure you have a professionally-prepared Will and enduring power of attorney
- Put together a list of people who should be contacted in case of emergency (share with your family and professional advisors)
- Consider healthcare advocates – someone to assist your caregiver in navigating the health care system
Don’t forget to take advantage of all the resources out there to help as you go through this process. Here are just a few:
Finally, if you have 20 minutes to spare you can take a free memory test specifically for people ages 50-79.
There are some difficult questions to ask but ignoring them won’t make them go away. If you need help, please reach out to a member of your Arbutus Financial Team.