Alternatives to Adult Guardianship

You may notice that your elderly parents are declining in their physical and mental capacities. Now is the time to talk to them about what they want and need from you. You do not need to immediately jump to the idea of guardianship. In fact, there are alternatives to adult guardianship that can allow you to help your parent without entirely taking away their independence.

Alternatives to Adult Guardianship

It can be difficult for you to have aging parents who are experiencing some signs of not being able to fully care for themselves. Maybe they forget to pay the bills, shop for groceries or forget people. Or it could be that your parents have trouble walking, driving, and doing other physical activities. As their child, you want to protect them from elder fraud or abuse, but guardianship may seem like a drastic action that could cause conflict between you and your parent.

While your parent can mostly care for themself, you can take steps to help them without applying for full guardianship. Some alternatives to adult guardianship are:

• Power of Attorney
  This will allow you to help pay bills and make medical and financial decisions with your parents. There are different types of POAs, and an experienced estate planning attorney can help you draft one.
• Shared Bank or other Financial Accounts
  If your parent makes too many contributions to charities, or purchases extravagant items, it may be time to step in and help them with their finances. If you have a shared bank account, you can easily see what purchases are being made and close the account when needed.
• Limited guardianship
  Allows your parent to retain some legal rights and freedoms. With this, you can only make those decisions about personal care or personal finances that the court specifies.

You may not need to apply for full guardianship over your parents yet. But now is the time to talk to them about their limitations and future. Do they have a will in place? What are their decisions concerning medical care? You need to understand your parent’s estate plan.

What Is In An Estate Plan?

An estate plan may sound fancy, but it is simply comprised of legal documents that state a person’s wishes of how they want to handle their financial and medical care now and in the future.

An estate plan should include at least these 3 documents:

1. A will or trust
2. Power of Attorney
3. Healthcare directive

Of course, many more items can be included in an estate plan. Talk with an experienced guardianship attorney today to help you properly care for your parents.

Do You Need to Talk to An Oak Brook Guardianship Attorney?

Talk to the experienced attorneys at the Estate and Probate Legal Group. We can help you and your parents plan for and protect their future. Contact us today at 630-864-5835.

AREAS WE SERVE: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties