Best online end-of-life planning and document services
The multitude of documents required to create an end-of-life plan can feel overwhelming. For health care, there are medical directives...
Articles by Care.com Editors
Should older adults buy life insurance?
One of the main benefits of life insurance is ensuring that your dependents would be provided for in the event of your...
You probably need to update your beneficiaries. Here’s why
You’re asked to name a beneficiary many times over throughout your lifetime — each time you start a new job...
Digital estate plans: Why you need it and how to create yours
You already know an estate plan can make it easier to transfer your financial assets and physical property after death....
Should you consider an irrevocable trust?
The word irrevocable evokes permanent, set-in-stone arrangements. And that’s exactly what it means in describing this type of trust. Once...
Should you set up a testamentary trust? What you need to know
The two most common types of trusts are revocable living trusts and irrevocable living trusts. But those are hardly your...
Revocable living trusts: The basics
Revocable living trusts are one of the most common forms of trusts that people put in place to protect their...
What is an executor and what do they do?
Naming an executor is one of the most important elements of a last will and testament. After all, an executor...
4 ways to avoid probate
It is a truth universally acknowledged that probate is a major pain. It requires that an executor or other representative appear in...
When does your loved one need a guardian or conservator?
Choosing to become a loved one’s guardian or conservator is a serious matter that requires court approval. This role requires...
How to spend down your assets to qualify for Medicaid
Many aging adults need help with daily personal tasks—things like bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet, or taking medications. Medicare doesn’t...
Hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia in people with Alzheimer’s and dementia
People with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can be beset by hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Sometimes, these distortions can be directly caused by changes...
What’s the difference between delirium and dementia?
When interning at a nursing home, I encountered a patient who was complaining that her medication was causing hallucinations. But...
Could a geriatrician be the best doctor for you?
It’s no secret that Americans are getting older. According to recent U.S. Census data, the median age in the U.S. is shifting...
Should you have a joint bank account with your parent?
A joint bank account with an aging parent offers convenience but comes with risks. Understand the benefits and drawbacks before...
Checklist for financial caregivers: Accounts and documents
As a financial caregiver, there are many documents and accounts you must have access to in order to do a good...
Life insurance: What are the types + how to buy it
Don’t have life insurance? You’re not alone. Over 100 million Americans don’t have a policy, according to Life Happens, a...
Checklist: Everything you need to do after someone dies
After a loved one dies, it can be hard to think of anything beyond your immediate sadness and grief. But...
How to make a living will
A living will is a straightforward, easy-to-complete document that allows you to specify what should happen in the event that you’re...
What’s the difference between an advance directive and a DNR?
If you’re ever unable to make your own medical decisions, the paperwork you’ve set up ahead of time can be...
4 things you must know about estate taxes
You know what they say about death and taxes—and when it comes to estate taxes, sometimes death isn’t even the...
How to create a health care proxy
Who would you pick to make medical decisions for you if you were no longer able to make them on...
How to find an estate planning attorney
When it comes to protecting and passing on your assets after you die, an estate planning attorney can (and should)...
Trust vs. will: Which is better for you?
Determining if you need a trust or a will can get confusing, because on the surface both appear to do...
8 common questions about wills, answered by an expert
When it comes to your last will and testament, you’ve probably got questions — lots of questions — about this...
What is a trust—and why they’re not just for the super wealthy
You might think trust funds are reserved for the super-wealthy, but in reality a trust can be a smart estate-planning...
Why I hired a comedian to visit my mother with Alzheimer’s
The most harrowing plane ride I’ve ever had was a trip from the East coast to the West coast last...
How to choose the right wheelchair for your senior loved one
Finding the right wheelchair for someone can be a daunting task, as it depends on a variety of factors ranging...
Staying in my lane: Caring for the caregiver
I first learned about what I call the lanes of parental caregiving when I was 35. That’s when my mother...
4 ways to pay for long-term care with life insurance
Regardless of how healthy and fit you are now, the chances are good that you or your spouse may need...
Why more people are using advance directives for people with dementia
Financial planners, family-law attorneys, and medical professionals have long urged people to write advance directives—legal statements that stipulate what sort of...
5 top online, low-cost will services for estate planning
According to a recent Gallup poll, 56% of Americans do not have a will. Dying without a will means that state laws will...
What is a durable power of attorney and what questions should you ask them
What is a durable power of attorney? Here's a simple explainer of this important document and why you need it.
A rock and a hard place: A family caregiver’s account of her mother’s final months
Caught between my dying mother and my teenaged son, I felt as if I couldn’t do anything right. Or could...
In-home day care vs. a daycare center: What’s the difference?
It's not easy choosing between in-home daycare vs. a daycare center. Here, child care experts break down the benefits to...
A wheelchair accessible home: Tips for making it work
By Mary Brophy Marcus Preparing a home so that it’s wheelchair accessible can be incredibly stressful. Usually, when you need...
What to do when someone dies without a will
Dying without a will: It sounds dire. What happens to the deceased’s assets? And who makes the decisions? Admittedly, the...
Should you write your own will or hire a lawyer?
If you don’t yet have a last will and testament, you might be wondering if you really need to hire...
12 diaper gift ideas and decorations for baby showers
Discover creative diaper cakes, gift ideas and decorations you can DIY or buy for a special baby shower celebration.
How will technology change care work?
This interview originally appeared on apolitical.co. It’s presented here with permission of the publisher. Workers in the care sector are...