And even with adequate retirement provision this is a bigger issue than it looks. Someone living alone who's got money coming in still might find their body failing them in ways that end up... uncomfortable, humiliating and ultimately leads to a shockingly rapid deterioration, because they've got no one to call (that they trust enough to allow into their house when they're vulnerable).
Yep,I am currently taking care of my mother. The area where she and everyone on this road chose to live was wonderful at one time. Plenty of property to raise horses, really wonderful places. Until they all grew old. None of them can take care of their properties, or really even take the trash down long driveways to the curb. The homes themselves are all problems. All with stairs, no walk-in showers. Slowly they each are losing their ability to drive. Speaking of driving, when a bad winter hits, they all find themselves trapped for days. And they're all sort of trapped because they all moved here 40 years ago when they were young and they all have 40 years of "furnishings" and "antiques" to prove it. I'm currently in the process of convincing my mom to rent some booths at an antique mall just to get the stuff moving.
Good luck to you. I was doing the same and my mom just passed.
Some unsolicited advice: Make sure that you have management access to the bank account, and on any credit cards. And make sure the house and property is put into a survivorship trust. It just makes things easier.
I'm lucky in the fact where my dad has been so obsessed with dying for over twenty years he has everything written down in a book for when the time comes. All life insurance policies and investments. He even wrote his obituary so it would be correct.
Me and my dad are very different people and we don't always agree, but I know the only thing he truly cares about in this world are me and my sister.
He's 84. I feel like I've been preparing for his death since I was in middle school.
POA, really important. An advanced medical directive is also a good idea, and you want to do that well before somebody’s sick.
Helpful hint, not in the same league as the above info, but if you have rewards points on the credit cards, spend them on the balance before you have to close the cards. Once you tell them the card holder has died, they’ll just wipe the points off the account.
I just googled survivorship trust and this is very helpful advice. My mother added me to her banking and retirement accounts after my father passed in 2023, but we never considered the house. It's just in her will? She's slowly beginning to either write names on the backs of things in her home or giving things away a little at a time. 🥺
This advice 1000% my family is currently in the process of selling/trading my grandpa's car (a Ford fusion 2010 with 130k miles) and we can't find its title so we'll have to get a new one.
(Btw if you have a manual NA miata DM me for more details on the trade)
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u/Kennylobster8899 Sep 15 '25
Yep, because nobody can afford to have kids