What the heck does a Senior individual do to make sure they will have someone oversee their needs when the time comes?

[BlueAllTheWay]

A couple of decades ago a Will, POA, etc. was completed by this person. They were close to siblings and family, but things have
changed after their parents passed. This person is single, no children, or anyone close enough to count on. When the Will and POA
were set up, they appointed a sibling who they used to have a close relationship with to handle their needs once they become unable to due to old age or poor health, BUT now it's obvious the appointed sibling is NOT interested in handling their affairs and has become distant. This Senior t hen tried asking a niece if she would be okay being appointed and she said yes, half-heartedly. The thing is the niece and her family are not close and they only see each other during the Christmas holiday. Neither of them can be counted on. What the heck can this Senior do to ensure she her medical treatment decisions, financial obligations, etc. will be taken care of when the time comes?

I know there are Elder Law Attorneys, but my understanding is they really only handle Seniors who are financially well off. We need to find a solution so that this Senior can rewrite her will and remove her sibling as her POA and Executor. This individual has a very modest savings. The main concern is getting someone to make healthcare decisions according to her wishes and to keep up with paying her bills from her account when she is unable to. She is very concerned and would like the peace of mind to know she has something or someone in place that will take care of this. She knows her sibling could really care less at this point.

[1WorldHope]

1. Help them call their local Aging Services office.

They used to be called Areas on Aging Services. They are government funded and they should be able to help.

[Oneear]

2. I am in in the same place you are

My sister lives in the same small town and shows up for 1 hour a week. I am doing all the work, cooking, grocery shopping, and laundry for the doctor's visits, and she will move out of state in June 2025. I am 24/7/365 here

[bucolic_frolic]

3. Contact your county's Area Agency on Aging and pose this problem to them

They will know local resources and have referrals.

[KarenS]

4. We have a Fiduciary that will handle it,,,,

We are not wealthy ~ middle-class. But we have no children together and decided to look for a way to handle our deaths appropriately. His/my children do not even know each other. A Fiduciary bills the Estate for the work they do. Not sure about medical powers of attorney. Consulting with an attorney to start with would be a good idea.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. This is going to be a growing problem in years to come.

People having fewer children, living a long way from any of them, or any other relatives.

And it is possible for a senior to get all the paperwork you name without going bankrupt. Elder attorneys and those who work for free or reduced rates for such stuff.

It's also important to understand that all of our paperwork needs to be updated periodically. People die, move, stop being willing to care for someone.

I have moved into a senior facility for this reason. I'm in NM, my only son is in the DC area. I really don't like being so far from him, but that's how it's worked out. And I'm seeing the support here, even with relative strangers.

[MLAA]

6. I recently asked a trusted, un-related young person that I have known for 5 years to be my 'professional/hired' nephew.

He had previously agreed to be the executor of my will and my husband’s if my husband who is much older than I am should I unexpectedly go first. We updated our wills to reflect this and leave him a very generous fee. While we have 3 nephews, I wouldn’t trust any of them to have my medical or financial power of attorney, help me select a very good assisted living place or to check on me a couple of times a week (hourly payment for the checks and any errands) to make sure I’m well treated. So I asked the young man if he wanted to be a ‘hired nephew’. He agreed. We will change our wills to leave him a significant inheritance and I’m also planning to give him a bonus when I move into assisted living and sell our home, though I haven’t told him about this extra benefit.

So, bottom line, we will be reducing the inheritances of our existing heirs (nephews, we have no children) to fund this. I’m not quite sure yet how I’ll handle any financial power of attorney guardrails.

PS: I know of a widowed senior man with no children who made a similar arrangement with a non-related friend who is much younger. Apparently the younger man will inherit his home and any other assets at his passing.

[SheltieLover]

7. Contact their local senior citizen center and the Council on Aging in their area and ask

Best of luck!

[Lulu KC]

8. A dear friend with a distant cousin in another state just went through this

The man had no other family and my friend is not comfortable with traveling to help him in person. She found an attorney in his city who served as guardian and took care of all of it. The cousin had the means to pay for this, but it didn't sound expensive. The cousin finally died and the attorney is able to take care of everything. My friend will travel to his funeral. The only other "human resource" this guy had were fellow church members, who were nice to him but he became ill enough that it was over their heads. He ended up in a nursing facility where he was safe and taken care of. The attorney had a staff member who visited all the people he served to be sure they were cared for.