If you have a loved one with special needs, then you know better than anyone about the benefits and necessity of planning ahead. This should include selecting a guardian for your loved one with special needs. After all, not everyone will be best suited to caring for a person with special needs. You will need to consider a person’s lifestyle, caring capabilities and style, and, among many other things, whether they are up to the job. Caring for a disabled individual, after all, can be a uniquely fulfilling, but also a uniquely challenging responsibility. Here are some things to consider so you can choose the right guardian for your loved one with disabilities.
How to Choose the Right Guardian for Your Loved One with Disabilities
It can be hard to confront the fact that there may very well come a time when you are no longer able to care for your loved one with disabilities. It is, however, a potential reality that you should confront to help ensure that they are always properly provided for and cared for. You can do this by choosing the right guardian for your loved one. It is an important decision and one that certainly should not be taken lightly.
In order to help select the right guardian for your disabled loved ones, consider the following factors:
- Age: You may be considering someone like a parent for taking on the guardian role. After all, your parents provided you with care and they may be well suited for being guardians to a loved one with disabilities. You should, however, take into consideration the age of your potential guardian selections. You may want to select a person that will be able to care for your loved one for a long, long time and the increasing needs that come with advancing in years needs to be considered. You may want to choose someone younger than someone in your parents’ generation. Alternatively, you may want to name your parents and change them later on. After all, you should review your estate planning documents every few years anyways.
- Financial responsibility: You may want your guardian selection to also be tasked with managing your loved ones finances. If this is the case, you will want to select a guardian who can responsibly manage their money and assets. Alternatively, you can select a guardian and task someone else with the responsibility of managing your loved one’s finances, such as a trustee of a special needs trust.
- Location: Is it important for your loved one with disabilities to remain in the same area and avoid relocation? This may be due to a number of reasons including the support system they may have established in their current location. A support system can include their doctors, their school, and their overall routine. If you want your loved one to avoid moving, then you should be sure to select a guardian who lives in the same area or who would be willing to relocate.
These are just a few of the factors you should consider in selecting a guardian for your loved one with special needs. You will also want to take into account things like a prospective guardian’s experience in dealing with those with special needs and how the prospective guardian has interacted with your loved one specifically.
Estate Planning Attorneys
When it comes to protecting your loved ones, the team at Jones, Gregg, Creehan & Gerace is here to help by establishing a comprehensive estate plan for you and yours. Contact us today.