Senior Care Legal Documents

Seniors often do not plan ahead for senior care. But as soon as senior care needs are required, you should make sure all of the proper legal documents which could be necessary for elder care are in place. Especially now that medical doctors must enforce the privacy of medical records and seniors usually have more than one doctor. Be sure to include in your senior planning the following legal documents:

Health Insurance Information (HIPAA)
Power of Attorney for Finances
Power of Attorney for Health Care
Estate Plan or Living Will

These basic legal templates are standard, just like a rental property lease agreement. Caregiverlist offers the official senior care legal documents from an approved digital attorney resource, Law Depot:

Power of Atty for HIPAA Release: Save money on Power of Attorney

Estate Planning: Affordable Last Will and Testament

Deed of Trust (Living Will): Save money on Deed of Trust

Most senior home care agencies and assisted living communities will want these documents to be in place when services begin. Law Depot guides you through the process with approved legal forms.

As we age, sudden age-related illnesses can happen. Be sure you set-up all of your legal documents ahead of time so that this is not an added burden. While this can be a tough conversation to have, it will be even more difficult if you wait until a crisis has happened. Remember, too, that some states have their own laws which may make ‘pulling the plug’ not as simple as you might think it should be. For example, the highly publicized Terri Schiavo case allowed her life to be maintained on a feeding tube, even though this was not something she wanted, because in the state of Florida feeding tubes were not considered life support. The Five Wishes is another worksheet document that allows you to be very specific about your wishes for end-of-life care.