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'Elder Orphans' Get the Help They Need
A new program helps Minnesota's Hennepin County and Anoka County elder orphans plan their estates and find advocates to step up in case of incapacitation.
July 19, 2009 /Seniors PR News/ -- 'Elder Orphans' Get the Help They Need
Article provided by G. Martin Johnson, Ltd.
Visit us at www.gmartinjohnson.com
Like children without parents, elder orphans need help in their lives. They are elderly, often in frail health, and without family and friends they can lean on should they become incapacitated. They have no spouse, no siblings and no children who can make crucial health-care decisions for them in the event they can no longer make those decisions themselves.
A new program -- believed to be the first of its kind -- helps Hennepin County and Anoka County elder orphans in Minnesota plan their estates and find advocates to step up in case of incapacitation. The Unbefriended Elders Project run by Volunteers of America is a free service that helps eligible people over 65 fill out health-care instructions and works to find advocates who will make sure the directives are carried out.
The advocates will make decisions based on the values of the adult orphans; decisions weighing the risks and benefits of surgery or treatments. Life and death can often hang in the balance in these kinds of decisions, which is why VOA seeks advocates who act as a caring friend or family member would in those dire situations.
Most older people plan ahead with family or friends the care they want should they become so ill they can't make decisions any more. They also often write health-care directives with attorneys, laying out explicit instructions on the levels of care they do and don't want in emergencies and long-term debilitation.
The Unbefriended Elders Project helps elder orphans before they slip through the cracks and have a court-appointed guardian making decisions for them; a frequent occurrence in nursing homes when a resident has no family or friend to step in with the legal authority to make health-care decisions.
If you or a friend or a loved one hasn't completed a health-care directive, contact an estate-planning attorney who can help you make plans to ensure your values are honored and your health-care desires are carried out.
Article provided by G. Martin Johnson, Ltd.
Visit us at www.gmartinjohnson.com
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