I left the ice cream in the refrigerator yesterday. I think that I am losing it! Ever had a “senior moment?” Personally, I have been having them since my early 20’s. While most of the time these moments happen to us because our busy lives are so distracting, dementia and Alzheimer’s are on the rise.
1 in 3 seniors dies from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease kills more people every year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. In the State of Tennessee, deaths from Alzheimer’s have increased 217.6% in the last 20 years. In 2020, 120,000 Tennesseans were living with Alzheimer’s and that number is projected to increase to 140,000 in the next two years.
Pretty terrifying, huh? Personally, there is nothing scarier to me than losing my mind. The threat of mental disability really makes you think about the future. What happens when you can no longer make medical or financial decisions? As Alzheimer’s becomes increasingly more prevalent, and our largest population reaches the age of 65 and beyond, it is important to plan for the “what if.”
Legally, there are several documents that can make life much easier on you and your loved ones if you are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. First is a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions and for Financial Decisions. This document can be broken up into two separate documents or can be combined into one. Regardless, the principle is the same. You are designating someone you trust to make decisions for you regarding your healthcare and finances in the event that you cannot make those decisions.
The second useful document is an Advance Directive. Advance Directives allow you to make decisions regarding living in a vegetative state or it can outline certain medical treatments that you want, or don’t want, to keep you alive. Advance Directives can include things like the use of CPR and ventilators as well as preferences for pain management and organ donations. Creating this document along with a Durable Power of Attorney helps your Power of Attorney ensure that you are cared for exactly the way you want. The biggest benefit is that your attorney-in-fact doesn’t have to make an incredibly hard decision on continued care. I tell people that they are giving their loved ones a gift. No one wants to make the kind of visceral decision that comes with continuing a non-responsive life or ending a life.
The last document that everyone needs is some kind of Last Will and Testament. Your Will ensures that your assets, property, minor children, and pets are taken care of after you die. Like the Living Will, it is a way for you to express your wishes so that nephew you don’t like doesn’t get your house, and your cat is not sent to the shelter. A will is especially important if you have a blended family. Many times, acrimony will break out between the first family and the second family after a death. Unfortunately, human nature lends itself to greed and boy does it come out after a death!
All of these documents are fairly simple and can be quickly completed by an attorney. Unfortunately, according to a scary new statistic in 2022 from senior living and referral service Caring.com, only 33% of Americans have taken the time to plan these documents. Taking the extra time to sit down and memorialize your decisions and desires is the best way to prepare for your future. For more specific information or questions feel free to contact our office.
