Author's Insights

Questions and Answers

Here are a few more questions and answers that have been asked.

Question: Since I don't have children or grandchildren, what will happen to my dog when I die?

Answer: In the section titled Pets in the organizer there is a question: What are your wishes for your pet in the event of your death? Start now by asking others if they might consider adopting your pet in the event that you become incapacitated or die. You might also contact pet shelters in the area to ask for information on how others have handled this. List your preferences but also be sure to have the conversation with your representative so that they know your wishes prior to your death.

Question: I checked the box on my driver's license that I want to be an organ donor. Is that all I need to do?

Answer: For a person to be an organ donor they will typically need to die in a hospital setting so that artificial or mechanical ventilation may be used to keep blood and oxygen flowing to the organs. I encourage everyone who is considering organ donation to visit the website: www.organdonor.gov to review the process for organ donation. Having the conversation with family members or your representative before anything happens is much more effective than just checking the box on your driver's license and hoping medical personnel look for your driver's license.

Question: I look at the organizer and see how large it is and become overwhelmed with where to begin. Do you have suggestions on how to get yourself started?

Answer: First, looks can be deceiving. Yes, this is a 2-inch organizer, but it can be read cover-to-cover in about 45 minutes. Why - because the vast majority of the binder is in a question format with fill-in-the-blank lines. There may be some of the 20 sections of the binder that do not pertain to your situation in life so you will leave those sections blank. In other sections, you may need to add an additional page.

My suggestion is to start one section at a time. The organizer is not designed to be completed in one day. I would suggest taking a section or two a day over the next few weeks. Reviewing the organizer in its entirety prior to filling out the information, allows you the opportunity to complete the sections that do not require a lot of searching for documents first to get you started. This will also allow you to understand the documentation you will need to locate.

Try to keep yourself committed to completing the organizer within a month by remembering why you began this process in the first place. When the time comes, and it will, the gift of this organizer for those who will be taking care of you or closing your estate, will be a blessing, and no doubt, greatly appreciated. Why compound the grief and anxiety your family or representatives will already be experiencing, with the addition of the enormous labor-intensive tasks of closing your estate or the stress of making decisions on your behalf without this knowledge.

Look at the process of completing the binder as an act of love. What a beautiful gift and legacy to leave behind

DISCLAIMER:  The author of When The Time Comes does not claim to be an expert in the fields of banking, investments, accounting, insurance, real estate or law. The author does not provide legal advice. The information contained in this binder comes from the personal experience of the author working with families and individuals over the past 40 years as a registered nurse, health advocate, POA, Guardian and through pastoral care. Readers are advised to contact experts in the respective fields listed in the binder for additional information.

© 2022 Carol Havens | All rights reserved
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