Attending to Affairs of a Loved One who is Hospitalized
To schedule an appointment, contact our law firm at 403-400-4092 or Chris@NeufeldLegal.com
When a loved one is suddenly hospitalized, the world seems to shrink down to the four walls of a clinical room. In the midst of monitoring vitals and speaking with doctors, a secondary realization often hits: the rest of life hasn’t paused. Bills are still due, pets need care, and critical medical decisions may need to be made by someone other than the patient. Getting a family member’s affairs in order during a health crisis is an act of profound love and practical necessity, ensuring that their wishes are honored even when they cannot advocate for themselves.
The first and most urgent priority is the Personal Directive (for health). Since the individual is already in the hospital, identifying who has the legal authority to make medical decisions is paramount. This document outlines their preferences for treatment, end-of-life care, and intervention limits. If a personal directive isn't already in place, many hospitals have social workers or patient advocates who can help facilitate the designation of a spokesperson. Having this clarity prevents family disputes and ensures the medical team is following the patient’s specific values rather than making assumptions [more on personal directives].
Equally vital is the Power of Attorney, which governs the patient’s legal and financial life. While a medical directive covers the body, the power of attorney covers the bank accounts, the mortgage, and the mail. Without this legal designation, family members often find themselves locked out of necessary accounts, unable to pay for the patient’s ongoing expenses or manage their property. If the patient is still lucid and capable, establishing a durable power of attorney now can prevent the long, expensive process of seeking a court-ordered guardianship later [more on powers of attorney].
Beyond the legal paperwork, you must gain a clear picture of their financial landscape and recurring obligations. This involves locating bank statements, insurance policies, and utility bills. In our digital age, this is often the most difficult step because it requires access to passwords and digital accounts. Locating a master password list or gaining access to a primary email account is often the "skeleton key" to managing their affairs. It allows you to pause subscriptions, notify employers, and ensure that the home remains secure and the lights stay on while the focus remains on recovery.
Organization is only as good as the communication that supports it, which is why compiling a comprehensive contact list is essential. This includes not just the immediate family, but also the "gatekeepers" of the patient’s life: their primary care physician, lawyer, accountant, and even their landlord or employer. Knowing who to call (and having the authority to speak with them) creates a support network that can handle the logistics of the outside world, freeing you to stay present at the bedside.
Finally, while it is a heavy topic to broach in a hospital room, ensuring a Will is located and up to date provides long-term peace of mind. A will is the final word on a person’s legacy and intentions, and knowing its location prevents future chaos. With only half of adult Canadians having a will, and far too many of those being either out-of-date or invalid, it is important to not only determine its existence, but also its currency and validity [more on reviewing of will]. Documenting everything in a central "emergency binder" or digital folder allows for a transition from reactive crisis management to proactive care. By gathering these threads now, you protect your family member’s dignity, assets, and wishes, allowing the focus to remain where it belongs: on their health and comfort [more on a list of action items].
So if a loved one has been admitted to Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre, Peter Lougheed Centre, Rockyview General Hospital, South Health Campus, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Cochrane Community Health Centre, Airdrie Community Health Centre or other medical facility, hospice or seniors home in metropolitan Calgary, Alberta, you need to ensure that their last will & testament, power of attorney and personal directive is up-to-date and reflects their current intentions. If a loved one requires a hospital visiting lawyer to attend to a last will & testament, power of attorney, personal directive, trust or other estate planning document, contact our law firm today at 403-400-4092 or via email at Chris@NeufeldLegal.com to schedule a confidential initial consultation.*
* Please note that travel time and attending at the hospital / hospice / seniors home will incur additional cost and expense as compared to comparable legal work on wills, trusts, personal directives and powers of attorney. Click here for more information about hospital appointments.
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