Elderly Home Care & Legal Considerations for Families in Reno, NV

Comfort Keepers elderly home care professionals address legal issues seniors and their families should address

Talking about legal matters can be a highly sensitive topic for many seniors, who are worried that discussing legal issues is the first sign of losing independence. This is not the case, especially with help from Comfort Keepers elderly home care professionals! However, knowing your loved one’s wishes regarding care in advance is important. If you know what they want and have it in writing, you can act on your senior mom or dad’s behalf in case they are unable to make decisions on their own.

The American Bar Association’s (ABA) can provide you with valuable information about legal matters for seniors and help you find lawyers who specialize in elder law in case you need additional help and advice. Legal documents through which individuals specify medical directives that should be made on their behalf in the event they are temporarily or permanently unable to make or verbalize their decisions are known as advance health care directives.

Advance directives come in two forms, as living wills and durable power of attorney for health care. A living will provides instructions for family members about the kind of medical care that should be provided if a person becomes terminally ill and unable to make his wishes known.

Durable power of attorney for health care is also known as health care proxy. With this document, your loved one can appoint someone they trust to make care decisions for them. It is advisable to have both forms of advance directives. In case your loved one doesn’t specify who should act on their behalf, a court can appoint a guardian or conservator.

In addition to advance directives, there are more documents your loved one should have – and gather all in one place. These include birth certificate, social security records, life insurance information, policy numbers, and Medicare documents, among others. You can also make copies of these documents and give them to trusted individuals and your loved one’s personal physician.

For more information about legal documents and elderly home care services, please contact Comfort Keepers of Reno, NV. We are happy to help you!

Give us a call at (775) 210-5944 to learn more!