Legal Considerations for Home Care in Hamilton, ON

Learn more about the legal considerations for home care in Hamilton, ON, and the surrounding areas

Most importantly, there are many legal considerations for seniors. Subsequently, they get into all aspects of life. Similarly, one such is estate planning. In short, it determines which relative gets what assets.

The majority of the aging has to be deal with living wills, powers of attorney, and instructions about life-sustaining treatment.

Comfort Keepers reduce the stress of seniors and their families by reviewing all legal and health documents.

Further, for detailed information on this subject and to find out the specific laws of your province, talk with your lawyer.

Online Resources

You have online resources to gather more information. You can find information on important legal matters for seniors at National Elder Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association 

Similarly, click the link here http://www.cba.org/CBA/sections_elder/main/ and you’ll get the information that you need to begin making your way through the complex maze of legal issues for aging.

Advance Health Care Directives (Living Wills)

Legal documents through which an individual can specify his or her behalf.  To sum up, what types of medical intervention and long-term care choices do they want.

To clarify, advance directives come in two forms:

• A living will is an instruction that contains the types of health care treatment that should be provided.
• A durable power of attorney for health care includes the details about which person is appointed to make decisions on the individual’s behalf when the individual is incapacitated.

You should discuss these directives with your loved ones, to make sure they are followed. In addition, give copies to a responsible family member, a personal physician, and any other trusted individuals.

Wills and Trusts

Wills can ensure individuals declare who gets their assets when they die. So, it prevents legal problems and potential conflicts between family members regarding the ownership of their loved one’s possessions. However, if you do not have a will, your possessions could be distributed according to the law.

Trusts come in several ways, including a living trust. They are generated for many reasons. Such as, to avoid probate in which a court decides the settlement and tax value of an estate. To arrange care for a dependent family member. And, to assist in estate and tax planning, and with any legal document, it’s best to consult an attorney.

Power of Attorney

However, For financial settlement, legal authority is needed. You can give property authority by naming someone in a continuing power of attorney for property.

So, for personal care choices like where you want to live or what you eat, you can give legal authority by naming someone in a power of attorney.

Collecting Important Information

Seniors can do a great help by arranging their medical, financial and other personal information documents. Therefore, it can be easily managed and accessed in the event of a medical emergency or other critical situation.

Healthline.com recommends recording vital information and location of key documents in a large notebook and organize copies of relevant documents in expandable files.

To sum up, below are the documents to include:

• Birth certificate
• Social Insurance Number
• Life insurance information, including policy number
• Details(Names and Address) of family physician and medical specialists
• Details on hospital admissions and dates of office visits and other medical histories.
• Particular arrangements made for health care, including advance directives
• Funeral prearrangements
• Trust documents
• Will
• Sources of income and assets
• Bank statements and safe deposit box locations
• Mortgage papers
• Investment records
• Negotiable securities
• Credit card information
• Most recent income tax return
• Loan papers
• Divorce papers