What Caregivers Need to Know About Estate Planning for a Loved One with Dementia
Entrusted Legacy Law
For more information about the author, click to view their website: Entrusted Legacy Law
Jan 11, 2024
Pennsylvania - Greater Pittsburgh Area
Caring for a loved one with dementia is a challenge that millions of families undertake each year. As a caregiver, understanding how a dementia diagnosis affects your loved one’s legal decision-making is crucial to ensuring their wishes are honored and that you are providing them with the best possible care.
In this blog, we'll explore the importance of estate planning, even after a dementia diagnosis, as the best method to ensure the wishes and rights of your loved one are protected.
Understanding Incapacity
Dementia is a progressive condition that affects memory, cognition, and daily functioning. As dementia causes your loved one's cognitive abilities to decline, there may come a time when they are no longer able to make sound decisions about their finances, healthcare, and overall well-being.
When the effects of dementia make it difficult for a person to understand information and make sound decisions, that person is considered to be incapacitated, which means they can no longer legally make healthcare or financial decisions for themselves. This change in their memory and cognition can be emotionally overwhelming for both your loved one and your whole family, and without proper planning, can require court involvement.
But, there’s still some good news. Thoughtful estate planning can ensure that your loved one is cared for by the people they know and trust if they can no longer care for themselves, and even if you’re loved one has already been diagnosed with dementia, it is still possible for them to create a legally-binding estate plan during the early stages of the disease.
Estate Planning In The Early Stages of Dementia
Every adult should create certain legal documents to protect their rights and wishes, and this is no different for a loved one with a dementia diagnosis. What is important to remember is that in order to create a legal document, you need to have mental capacity – meaning you need to be fully aware of what you are doing and what the consequences of your choices will be.
Thankfully, a person does not need to constantly be in a state of capacity to create an estate plan. As long as your loved one has the mental capacity at the moment they sign their estate plan documents, the documents will be valid, even if they regress into a state of incapacity afterward.
In the early stages of dementia, and ideally long before any health problems surface, your loved one should create the following estate planning documents:
General Durable Power of Attorney
A General Durable Power of Attorney (POA) is a legal tool that allows your loved one to appoint someone to make financial and legal decisions on their behalf. Their POA can write checks, pay bills, maintain their home, and manage their financial assets.
This document becomes especially significant as dementia progresses. Encourage your loved one to designate a trusted individual as their Power of Attorney while they are still able to make such decisions.
A Revocable Living Trust
A General Durable Power of Attorney is an important tool, but many financial institutions place constraints on the use of a POA or don’t acknowledge their authority at all. To make sure your loved one has complete protection of their financial wishes, encourage them to establish a Revocable Living Trust and move their assets into the name of the Trust.
As part of creating a Trust, your loved one will name the person they want to manage their assets, called the Trustee. The Trustee and Power of Attorney are usually the same person, but not always. By having these two estate planning tools in place, you can rest assured that the people your loved one knows and loves will be able to manage their assets for them as their dementia progresses.
Power of Attorney for Healthcare
Similar to a General Durable POA, a Power of Attorney for Healthcare (HPOA) appoints someone to make medical decisions on behalf of your loved one when they are unable to do so for themselves. Discussing and establishing a Healthcare Power of Attorney early on allows your loved one to express their medical preferences and ensures their wishes are honored.
Their Power of Attorney for Healthcare should also include a Declaration to Physicians, also called a Living Will, that outlines their desires regarding medical treatment, life support, and end-of-life care. Creating a Declaration to Physicians and discussing their wishes with you ensures that their preferences regarding life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation, and other medical interventions are documented and respected.
Plan As Early As Possible
One of the most crucial steps in preparing for the challenges of dementia is to help your loved one complete their estate planning while they still have the capacity to do so. Waiting until the later stages of the disease can limit their options and increase stress for everyone involved.
By addressing legal matters early on, you can ensure that your loved one's wishes are respected, and their affairs are managed.
As dementia progresses, estate planning must become more proactive and strategic than ever to avoid court and conflict over your loved one’s wishes in the future. If dementia becomes too advanced before planning is complete, the question of who will manage your loved one’s assets and care will be left to a judge who doesn’t know your loved one or their wishes. Keep reading to learn what steps need to be considered when estate planning for someone with more advanced dementia.
Seek a Cognitive Evaluation
If your loved one’s cognitive capacity is in question, seeking a professional evaluation is a prudent and proactive step in the estate planning process. Schedule an appointment with your loved one's primary care physician or a specialist in dementia care to assess their mental state and make a recommendation on your loved one’s ability to make estate planning decisions.
During this evaluation, the medical professional will talk to your loved one and ask them questions about their everyday life, how aware they are of their circumstances, and what they would do in certain situations, such as if a stranger came to the door or if a pipe burst in their home.
Your loved one doesn’t need to remember every detail about their life for the evaluation to be beneficial. The professional will be most concerned with your loved one’s ability to analyze a scenario and make a thoughtful decision on how to respond. For example, your loved one may not remember what day of the week it is but may remember they shouldn’t open the door for a stranger.
Receiving a report from your loved one’s doctor stating they have the cognitive ability to make estate planning decisions (at least when they are in a lucid state) protects their ability to make decisions for their finances and healthcare, and dissuades any future debate from third parties as to whether your loved one had the ability to make a plan in the first place.
Encourage Private Meetings Between Your Loved One and Their Lawyer
It may be second nature to help your loved one with appointments, especially if hearing and memory troubles make it difficult for your loved one to follow along. But as much as possible, allow your loved one to meet with their lawyer independently. A private meeting between your loved one and their lawyer will provide them with the opportunity to express their wishes without external influence.
Even if you have your loved one’s best intentions at heart and they would prefer to have you present during the meetings, encouraging your loved one to have private conversations with their lawyer when possible helps avoid questions about whether or not you influenced their estate planning decisions.
If it isn’t feasible for your loved one to have an entire meeting with their lawyer alone, make sure they at least have opportunities to talk to their attorney in private by leaving the room while your attorney confirms their wishes.
Be sure to document every time your loved one meets alone with their lawyer and ask their lawyer to document it as well.
Make Sure Their Estate Plan Is Executed Carefully
Unfortunately, errors that occur at the time an estate plan is signed are common. Every state has different laws for how estate planning documents are executed, how they can be signed, and what witnesses or notaries are required to make the document binding.
If your loved one’s plan isn’t executed properly, it can result in your family needing to involve a judge to determine whether the estate plan is still valid. This also creates an opportunity for family members to question whether your loved one had the mental capacity to create the plan at all.
It’s also essential to document your loved one’s capacity at the time the estate plan documents are signed. Make sure that their lawyer reviews the documents carefully with your loved one before they sign them, that the documents reflect your loved one’s wishes, and that your loved one is creating the plan of their own free will.
If you have any concerns about other family members questioning your loved one’s estate planning decisions or mental state at the time, ask your loved one and their attorney if they could record the signing meeting to dispel any claims that your loved one was coerced into planning or didn’t know what they were signing.
Conclusion
If your loved one received a dementia diagnosis and hasn’t addressed their legal matters, don't despair - but act fast. Even in the advanced stages of dementia, individuals may have moments when they can participate in decision-making and estate planning. But, due to the progressive nature of dementia, time is of the essence for your loved one to create an estate plan, and the sooner they plan, the easier it will be for them to get the help they need as their condition progresses.
In cases where your loved one’s capacity is severely diminished and estate planning hasn’t been completed, your family will need to pursue a court guardianship. This legal arrangement involves a court appointing a legal guardian who assumes responsibility for making decisions on behalf of the person with dementia. This process can be stressful, and it’s possible the court will appoint someone your loved one never would have wanted to manage their assets or healthcare decisions.
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Working with an experienced probate attorney prevents errors that could increase costs, cause delays, or result in legal disputes.Contact Entrusted Legacy Law for a Complimentary Pennsylvania Probate ConsultationIf youre ready to begin the probate process in Pennsylvania, our Allegheny County and Butler County probate attorneys are here to guide you.Call us at 412-347-1731 to schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation to determine your next best steps.During your consultation, we will: Answer your probate-related questions Provide guidance on estate administration Help you navigate the Pennsylvania probate process efficientlyWe are here to relieve the legal and administrative burden during this difficult time and ensure that your loved ones estate is handled with care.
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Elder Law 100 Pinewood Lane Suite #303, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, 15086Our Firm Prepares You for Life What makes our firm different is that we were built with the needs of growing families in mind. We understand you are BUSY, you are growing, you are planning for a life of prosperity and you value ease, convenience and efficiency. You are raising children, and caring for elderly parents, while also working hard to build your own nest egg for a lifetime of support. You want to know youve made the best decisions for your family and that your plan will work when your loved ones need it most. You want to make sure your minor children would be raised by the people you choose, and never by anyone you wouldnt want, and that your teens and adult children are properly prepared to care for you and what you leave behind. You want to feel confident that youve made the right choices, and handled everything so that you arent leaving behind a mess, when something happens. That is our focus as well. Weve developed unique systems to give you the same access to a Personal Family Lawyer as was previously only available to the super-wealthy, so you can have the guidance you need to build and maintain a life of prosperity and wealth. And, to keep your family out of court and out of conflict, which is the greatest risk to the people you love and all you have created, even if youve already worked with a traditional lawyer or created documents online. Our Team Is Here for You We encourage communication with our clients. In fact, weve thrown out the time clocks so you never have to be afraid to call with a quick question. Everything we do is billed on a flat-fee basis, agreed to in advance, so there are never any surprises. We have a whole team to serve you. When you call our office to ask your quick question, you wont have to wait hours or days for a phone call back. Youll get your question answered, right away. And, if you need to schedule a more in-depth legal or strategic call with your Personal Family Lawyer, a call will be scheduled when you're both available and ready for the call so we can make the very best use of your time and not waste your time by leaving voicemail after voicemail back and forth. And, we ensure the most important details of your planning are followed through on and your plan continues to work throughout your lifetime. We have a funding coordinator to ensure your assets are owned the right way throughout your lifetime and none of your assets will end up going through a long, expensive court process or being lost to the state because they were missed after your death. Weve created unique membership programs to keep your plan up to date year in and year out as well as give you access to our Trusted Team of Legal Experts for guidance on ANY legal or financial matter. One day you will need a lawyer. I dont know why and I dont know when, but when you do, you will be grateful you can call on us and well be here to advise you or get you out of a jam. We Help You Transfer Your Life and Legacy Lastly, we believe your financial wealth is only a small part of your overall Life and Legacy Planning which is made up of your far more valuable and most often lost upon incapacity or death intellectual, spiritual and human assets. These assets are what make you who you are, and sum up whats most important to you. And, a survey of inheritors has revealed that what they care about even more than inheriting your money, is inheriting these intangible assets. Most estate plans only focus on the transfer of your financial wealth to the next generation. Most people have such great intentions of passing on the intangible, but very few ever get around to it. Its just not a priority, until its too late. How much do you know about your grandparents values? Their most prized personal possessions? How they felt about you? What they had learned during their lifetime? If you are like most people, you know very little. Thats why we build the capture and passage of these most valuable assets into every estate plan we create. Not only will we help you pass on your money, but also your values, your insights, your stories and your experience the truly valuable assets your loved ones care about the most. Weve developed a tool that allows us to capture and pass on your whole family wealth, including your Intellectual, Spiritual and Human assets. I cant go into all of the details here, but well definitely talk about it when you come in for your Life and Legacy Planning Session.
Entrusted Legacy Law
Estate Planning 100 Pinewood Lane Suite #303, Warrendale, Pennsylvania, 15086Estate Planning for Everyone You Love and Everything You OwnHave you ever considered what would happenlegally and financiallyto you, your family, your assets, and everything you care about if the unexpected were to occur?If your estate plan is outdated or non-existent, your assets could be lost to the State Department of Unclaimed Property, subjected to an expensive and time-consuming probate process, or even end up in the wrong hands. Without a comprehensive estate plan, your loved ones may face unnecessary financial hardship, legal disputes, or court intervention at a time when they need certainty and protection the most.If you dont know exactly what would happen to everything you own and everyone you love, the first step is to gain clarity. You need to understand how your current estate plan (or lack thereof) will impact your family so you can make informed decisions about whether it truly aligns with your wishes.How Entrusted Legacy Law Helps You With Estate PlanningWe offer customized estate planning solutions designed to protect your family, preserve your wealth, and ensure your wishes are honored. Through our Life and Legacy Planning Session, we take the time to educate you on the legal, financial, and personal implications of your estate choices.Step 1: The Life and Legacy Inventory & AssessmentBefore your Life and Legacy Planning Session, you will complete a comprehensive estate inventory that outlines your financial assets, real estate holdings, retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and other valuable property. This step ensures that we have a full picture of your estate and can identify potential gaps in your asset protection strategy.Step 2: Creating a Personalized Estate PlanIf you decide that your current estate plan is inadequateor if you dont have one at allwe will work together to design a legally sound and strategically structured estate plan that meets your familys unique needs. The foundation of your estate plan will often include a revocable living trust, which allows you to transfer your assets into the trust while maintaining control during your lifetime.Benefits of a Revocable Living Trust: Avoid Probate Prevents the time-consuming and expensive court process that could otherwise delay asset distribution. Minimize Estate Taxes Helps reduce tax liabilities and protect your wealth for future generations. Ensure Privacy Unlike a will, which becomes public record, a trust ensures your estate remains private. Maintain Control Dictate how and when your assets are distributed to your heirs.For families with complex financial portfolios, business ownership, or special circumstances (such as blended families or special needs children), we offer advanced estate planning strategies tailored to your specific goals.Can You DIY Your Estate Plan?Many people wonder if they can create an estate plan using online templates or generic legal services. Unfortunately, most DIY estate plans fail when families need them the most. What often passes for "estate planning" is nothing more than basic document generation, where you answer a few questions and receive a generic template that may not fully protect your assets or your loved ones. No Personalization A generic template cannot address your unique family dynamics, financial situation, or specific legal concerns. Legal Loopholes Improperly structured wills or trusts may be contested in court, leaving your family in legal disputes. No Ongoing Maintenance Estate laws change, and without updates, your plan may become outdated and ineffective.At Entrusted Legacy Law, we dont just draft documentswe provide comprehensive estate planning services that ensure your estate plan actually works when it matters most. We take the time to understand your familys needs, educate you on your options, and create a legally enforceable, tax-efficient, and conflict-free estate plan that gives you peace of mind.Protecting Families & Minor Children Through Estate PlanningIf you are a parent with young children, your estate plan should begin with a solid foundation that ensures your children will always be taken care of, no matter what happens. Without the proper legal protections in place, your children could end up in the custody of someone you wouldnt have chosenor worse, under state guardianship.At Entrusted Legacy Law, we specialize in estate planning for families with minor children. We help parents:Name Legal Guardians Ensure your children are raised by trusted individuals of your choosing.Set Up Trusts for Minor Children Prevent financial mismanagement by appointing a responsible trustee to oversee assets.Establish Emergency Plans Provide clear instructions for immediate care in case of sudden incapacity or death.Whether youre planning for minor children, adult dependents, elderly parents, or a complex estate, we can guide you through the estate planning process with personalized strategies to protect your familys future.Secure Your Legacy With Entrusted Legacy LawEstate planning isnt just about who gets whatits about ensuring that your loved ones are financially secure, legally protected, and prepared for the future.If you want to create a comprehensive estate plan that reflects your wishes, avoids probate, minimizes taxes, and keeps your loved ones out of court and out of conflict, then now is the time to take action Contact Entrusted Legacy Law today to schedule your Life and Legacy Planning Session and take the first step in protecting your family, your assets, and your future.