Estate Planning Tips in South Carolina When You Have a Recent Cancer Diagnosis

Have you received the devastating news of a diagnosis of cancer? Is your mind full of questions? What should you do first? Inform your family? Set up treatments? Get help? Most importantly, how should you plan your estate and your future?  With National Cancer Month in mind, we have put together some estate planning tips for you to consider right now so that you can get as much support as you need.

1. Right now, what support do you need? With your new cancer diagnosis, what help will you need? Do you need help with food? Grocery shopping? Medication management? Will you need transportation to doctor appointments and treatment options? Are there family members or friends or neighbors who can assist you?   

2. Will your current health care providers be changing? Often cancer requires specific treatment and you may need a specialist in addition to your personal doctor. 

3. Have you named a backup decision maker for health care decisions? Your cancer diagnosis may also include a need for surgery, advanced treatments, and more. Now is the time to meet with an experienced South Carolina estate planning attorney to determine who should have this authority as your decision maker if you are incapacitated. Your estate planning attorney will also discuss how you want to handle end of life conditions or the need for life sustaining treatments. 

4. In addition to health care, who is your backup decision maker for financial decisions? Just like health care decisions, who should have the ability to make financial decisions? These decisions can include, but not be limited to, paying bills, ensuring income is regularly deposited, monitoring financial investments, and even applying for public benefits to help pay for care should the need arise. 

5. Do you have a South Carolina estate plan? Is your South Carolina estate plan up-to-date? Does it reflect your wishes for your person, your decisions, and your legacy? Your experienced South Carolina estate planning attorney will work with you to determine not just what you want done at the time of your passing, but who you want to give legal authority to make your decisions in the event you are incapacitated.

6. Do you have any long-term care plans? Long-term care planning, or elder law planning, addresses what you will need as you age. Be aware that if you are over 65, your Medicare coverage has limitations and may not be able to cover everything you will need. Beyond this, now is the time to determine the answers to questions such as can you live at home independently? Will you need a caregiver? How can you plan ahead to afford the care you need? Has your cancer diagnosis changed this?

There is so much to address in regard to your cancer diagnosis. We are your local, experienced, South Carolina law firm!  Our firm is here to support you now and available to answer your questions

At Jabber & Isaac, we are dedicated to providing the best legal counsel in a caring and compassionate way. If you are looking for a premier law firm in the Midlands area of South Carolina, look no further than Jabber & Isaac. To learn more about our firm, we encourage you to contact us today to schedule an appointment to meet with one of our attorneys.