Page 114 - Dementia-Care-Specialist-Toolkit

bar association, local non- profit
Steps for Getting
Your Affairs in Order agencies, foundations, and
social service agencies.
• Gather everything you can
about your income, property,
investments, insurance, and SUMMARY
savings.
• Put copies of legal documents
and other important papers in Facing Alzheimer’s disease can be
one place. You could set up a emotionally wrenching for all
file, put everything in a desk or concerned. A legal expert and
dresser drawer, or just list the members of the health care tram
information and location of papers can help the person and family
in a notebook. If your papers are
in a bank safe deposit box, keep address end-of-life issues.
copies in a file at home. Check Advance health care and
regularly to see if there’s financial planning can help
anything new to add. people diagnosed with
• Tell a trusted family member or Alzheimer’s and their families
friend where you put your confront tough questions about
important papers. You don’t
need to tell this friend or family future treatments, caregiving, and
member your personal business, legal arrangements.
but someone should know where
you keep your papers in case of
emergency. If you don’t have a
relative or friend you trust, ask a
lawyer to help.

RESOURCES FOR LOW-

INCOME FAMILIES

Families who cannot afford a
lawyer still can do advance
planning. Samples of basic
health planning documents can
be downloaded from state
government websites. Area
Agency on Aging officials may
provide legal advice or help.
Other possible sources of legal
assistance and referral include
state legal aid offices, the state

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