E229 Judge Gave Her a Court-Appointed Stranger

<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="fg5sh" data-offset-key="86utf-0-0"> <div class= "public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="86utf-0-0"> <p>In this episode, we bring you a real-world story of “Ms. H.,” who got a <a href= "https://anthonyspark.com/e161-court-appointed-strangers/">court-appointed stranger</a> guardian instead of her family or her own attorney. This a cautionary tale for anyone who is dragging their feet on getting their planning done.</p> <h2>Why Ms. H. needs a guardian</h2> <p>Ms. H. is a <a href= "https://anthonyspark.com/e172-essential-retirement-planning-for-solo-agers-with-sara-geber-part-1/"> Solo Ager</a>. (For those of you who are new here, a Solo Ager is someone who is getting on in years and is unmarried or has no available immediate family to fulfill traditional roles). Ms. H. prepared her Last Will and Testament ten years ago when she in great health and named me as her executor. Her only family are nieces and nephews, whom she disinherited because they were estranged.</p> <p>A will is great for after you pass away, but you still should have a plan in place for when you decline and are unable to make your own decisions. As her health slowly deteriorated, I advised Ms. H. to make a trust or power of attorney, but unfortunately, she did not.</p> <p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-10709" src= "https://anthonyspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Why-Ms.-H-needs-a-guardian-300x169.jpg" alt="Why Ms. H needs a guardian" width="300" height="169" /></p> <p>Sadly, Ms. H. got to the point where she was no longer able to care for herself and was hospitalized (during COVID lockdowns) for dehydration and malnourishment. She was not eating or drinking enough.</p> <p>Now that she was in “the system,” she was bounced around among social workers, rehabs, and nursing homes. No one knew where she was until she finally got in touch with me and her estranged niece. I suppose in the end, family does matter no matter what transpired in the past. We th