Early Planning Can Save Grief Later

It is important to start end of life planning early. One Wall Street Journal columnist shares his story of how early conversations and planning would have helped his family out when his father fell ill. At the age of 79, his dad started looking frail and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The family panicked because he needed immediate care and they had no plan, and a shortage of money to cover this care that their father needed. Medicare provides some coverage, but there is still a substantial amount left uncovered. Fortunately, his father signed a health-care proxy just a couple of days before going to the hospital.

The family ultimately found him a hospice home that was suitable, but to avoid this in the future with his mother, the columnist has started an account where he deposits funds for the future care of his mother – an account that he does not touch. That way, he can focus more on his mother’s well-being instead of being in a panicked state about how to afford that care.

See Tom Lauricella, Making a Difference, Even at the End of Life, The Wall Street Journal, Mar. 24, 2012.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.