Think back to the time when you were a teen and lashed out at your parents saying: “You’re wrecking my life!” Fortunately, most of you have evolved past that stage and regained the love and positive relationship that lasts for decades.
Well . . . I hate to tell you but there is another stage looming where your parents can truly wreck your life. And this stage can last decades: aging without a plan. Do you know the following?
- Who is named as your parents’ responsible party, their legal Power of Attorney? Is that you? Are legitimate documents even completed?
- What is the plan when their independence wanes? Is there any type of strategy or are you assured of chaos?
- When will their financial resources evaporate, making this your economic problem? Have you ever been permitted to peek into their finances?
- Where will your parents live when their lives fall apart? Are you guaranteed a life of traveling back and forth to their hometown every time “the call” comes in?
- How will you juggle your current responsibilities plus the reality of dependent, medically fragile parents?
If you are like most adult children, you hold your breath and wait. As often as you try to leverage the relationship, all too often you can come away empty handed. Entrenchment goes hand-in-hand with aging, making your parents an immovable rock.
Your attempts to extract information land you in a pile of frustration. So you simply wait for the bomb to drop and your life to be turned upside down. All you can do is to anticipate the moment of truth in hopes that it doesn’t come too late.
The great news is that you can be ready! Have your planning structure in hand and be ready to for the full court press. Know what information needs to be gathered and what steps are essential to take. Understand available options. Be organized because your window may close quickly.
Preparation is as simple as logging into my website where the two-book series is available. The reality is that when the opportunity crashes into your life, it’s then too late to prepare. Do that in advance; do it now!
