Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/92498
Get "the Conversation" Going n WHAT WOULD YOU like the final stages of your life to look like? Who would you like to be a part of them? Several websites can be useful in starting these con- versations, including: www.theconversationproject.org, www.considertheconversation.org, and www.codaalliance.org. n WHAT WOULD BE your hope for end-of-life treatment should you have an irreversible life-threatening condition? n WHO WOULD YOU like to make medical decisions for you if you cannot make them for yourself? n DOES YOUR FAMILY understand your preferences? Are they in agreement with your wishes? If not, what conversations still need to be had? n WHAT DOCUMENTS do you need to put in place or update in order to ensure that your wishes are followed? n HAVE YOU DISTRIBUTED your documents to your family, doctor, spiritual advisor, lawyer, and agent(s)? n WHERE IS YOUR "ENVELOPE"? Is it readily accessible in the case of an emergency? several, she settled on one with whom she felt comfortable, that had years of elder law expe- rience, and that charged by the document, not by the hour. "I wanted to be able to call and talk about what was going on and to not feel like the meter was running all of the time," Dole says. "He has been invaluable, helping me to sort through so many excru- ciating details." How necessary is it to hire an estate plan- ning or elder law attorney to work through this process given the abundance of informa- tion and sample documents available online? "There are certain things you should not try to do on your own," cautions Feigenbaum. "It can cost you everything that you are try- ing to protect." He cites the readily available Power of Attorney forms that "sign away your decision-making rights immediately" as an example. "Your house can be sold right 82 WellesleyWeston Magazine | winter 2012/2013