Skip to Content

We are a Veteran Owned Business, providing 20% discounts for Veterans, First Responders, Elementary and High School teachers. Please contact us to set up a phone or Zoom meeting. Taking care of you and your family, It's What We Do!

Difficult Conversation with your Parents

Posted on Thu Feb 21, 2019, on Estate Planning

Estate Planning Lawyer

Are you part of the sandwich generation? Somewhere in your 40s or 50s, taking care of your own family? And, if so, you are probably at your wit’s end.

Being The Caregiver, and Having The Difficult Conversation with your Parents.

It is very stressful if you are the “chosen” one to take care of your parents. Being chosen is usually just being a child in town. Perhaps your siblings live separate and independent lives out of town. You are the one they call when the water pipes burst, and there’s water all over the basement. Further, you are the one they call when Dad is having chest pains. Now it is you deciding if we should call 911. You straighten out banking issues and reboot the computer.

The Difficult Conversation with your Parents; What Happens When Age Takes Its Toll?

The biggest question to address with your parents is – what happens if one or both of you are incapacitated? Do you want me to make decisions on your behalf? Do you have Powers of Attorney for Health?  How about Powers of Attorney for Property?  Who, if anyone, is authorized to make those decisions?

Acting for Your Parents in Financial Matters.

Having one child on the parent’s checking account is common. So you can write checks, pay bills and access those funds in the event of disability. However, what if Mom suddenly has a stroke? What if she is unable to make any decisions?  Can you access her retirement account to be able to pay for her long term care? If there is no Power of Attorney, the answer is no. You will have to open up a guardianship with the court. Now a judge is now in charge. The court will oversee what is spent, and what is done in the care of Mom. Guardianships are expensive, time-consuming and somewhat humiliating. Because the Judge can question all of the expenses that you incur, plus, you must have an awkward conversation with Mom and Dad to discuss their preferences for how the money will be spent. Would they want it to be used for a caregiver at home? Would they be ok to live in a senior facility? Have these difficult conversations when your parents are coherent and healthy.

Acting for Your Parents in Medical Matters.

When it comes to health, you should also discuss end of life decisions. Some decisions are about on-going care. For example, if Mom has a stroke or is suffering from dementia. You may be making on-going decisions under a Power of Attorney for Health. Other decisions are about ending health care. For example, if there is no chance of recovery and the doctor is asking about DNR (do not resuscitate) instructions. Talk to your parents about both situations. Do they want their lives prolonged no matter what? Or do they give more weight to the quality of life? The agent can make the final decision whether to keep him/her on life support.

Difficult Conversation with your Parents; Have Them Now, Not Later.

These are difficult conversations to tackle at the dinner table. But if you can have them with all of the children in the room, make sure your parents follow up with documenting their wishes in an estate plan with an estate planning lawyer in Schaumburg, IL, then you and your siblings will have a much easier time taking care of them in the future.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at Bott & Associates for their insight into estate planning and parents.

Peter KlenkPeter Klenk

What Our clients are saying

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

Ronald W.

Peter and his staff are very responsive and always willing to help my clients and in a cost efficient manner.

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

B.A.

Peter Klenk and his associates are responsive and professional - It is a pleasure to work with their team. If you have needs in estate planning or administration, they are the firm to go to in the Philadelphia area!

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

Michael Wolfgang

Peter and the whole team at Klenk Law are top notch. They are thorough, efficient and understanding of client needs. He was able to tailor our estate planning needs just how we envisioned.

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

Sharon A.

We recently used Peter's firm to update our wills and trusts. We found he and his staff to be well-informed, professional and highly efficient. And equally valuable, Peter explains the law in terms that a layperson can readily understand.

Klenk Law Logo
Stars

Anne W.

I saw four lawyers and was told by all of them; I should just forget contesting my mother's will. I knew what happened, but it is very hard to prove undue influence. I contacted the Law Offices of Peter L. Klenk & Associates. Attorney Amanda DiChello took my case. They were very honest and upfront about what would be involved trying to prove what I knew was true. Attorney DiChello may be young but she is extremely knowledgeable and skilled. She listened and understood what I conveyed to her. She knew exactly what information to use and crafted an outstanding interrogatory and many powerful depositions. Attorney DiChello understood the various emotional feelings this case created for my family and me; she was always there for us with a kind and encouraging word. We went to trial. The amount of work which she and her Paralegal did for the trial was incredible. They both knew my case inside and out! Attorney DiChello's powerful interrogative and thinking skills produced a positive outcome. Attorney DiChello did what other seasoned lawyers said was impossible!

Let us put our expertise to work for you.

Free consultation within 24 hours.