E264 3 Lessons from a Late Solo Ager

<p>What happens if you become a Solo Ager later in life? How does this happen? How does this affect you toward the end of your life? And what are some consequences to your probate estate?</p> <p>Let’s review “Ms. B.’s” situation and discuss.</p> <h2>How Ms. B. became a Solo Ager late in life</h2> <p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-42131" src= "https://anthonyspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-Ms.-B-became-a-Solo-Ager-late-in-life-300x169.jpg" alt="How Ms. B became a Solo Ager late in life" width="300" height= "169" /></p> <p>Ms. B. was married with a daughter, so she was not your typical Solo Ager. Her adult daughter moved far away out of state. The daughter was not quite estranged, but not much involved either. They stayed in touch and were friendly, but the daughter was effectively estranged, as she was not there to see to her mother’s care.</p> <p>Then, Ms. B.’s husband got sick and passed faster than anyone expected. So, Ms. B. was alone, rather unexpectedly. Ms. B. did not have a solo-ager plan, or a support network established, because she did not expect to be in this situation.</p> <h2>How Ms. B. got a court-appointed guardian</h2> <p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-42132" src= "https://anthonyspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-Ms.-B-got-a-court-appt-guardian-300x169.jpg" alt="How Ms. B got a court-appt guardian" width="300" height= "169" /></p> <p>As is common, sadly, soon after her husband passed, Ms. B. degraded physically and mentally. As mentioned earlier, because she didn’t expect to be a Solo Ager, Ms. B. had no support network. Once she was hospitalized, there was no one to whom the hospital could release her. So, she was shuffled from rehab to a nursing home.</p> <p>Wanting to go home and understandably frustrated, she was deemed “uncooperative.” This led the nursing home to petition the court for a guardian appointed for Ms. B. (a <a href= "https://anthonyspark.com/e161-court-appointed-strangers/">court-appointed stranger</a>). The court-appointed guardian wa