Why You Cannot Wait with Wills & Estate Planning
To schedule an appointment, contact our law firm at 403-400-4092 or Chris@NeufeldLegal.com
Far too often, wills and estate planning is left until someone is hospitalized. And worse yet, when it might have been possible to prepare and sign wills and other estate planning documents at the outset of their hospital stay, by the time I am contacted, the situation has worsened and they have lost the legal capacity to execute a will. These situations are all the more tragic when one considers the difficulties in administering these estates without a will, which will unnecesssarily stressful, but also exceedingly more costly and time-consuming without the benefit of a valid will. And the cost and stress of administering seems to only increase exponentially with every small variance, which could have almost always been avoided if a valid will had been executed prior to their passing.
These situations are personally heart-breaking and tragic, as not only can I foresee the added stress and costs that this oversight will create on the individual's passing, but I also see the personal anguish in their loved one from not being able to settle their affairs when they were still capable (and I also feel horrible that I could not do something for that individual had I been called days or hours earlier). For unfortunately, there is a point at which no lawyer is capable of doing anything for someone in hospital that lacks legal capacity.
As such, I cannot personally overstate the importance of not delaying in attending to your estate planning needs, including one's will, personal directive and power of attorney, and the same should apply to your parents and other loved ones. And if you or a loved one is admitted to hospital, it is imperative that you confirm that the hospitalized person has a valid and up-to-date will and other estate planning documents, and if there is any doubt as to the existence or sufficiency of those legal documents, that arrangements are immediately made to ensure that this situation is rectified immediately.
As such, you should not further delay in attending to your own will and estate planning needs, as well as those of your loved one, including prioritizing these matters when someone is hosptialized. Don't procrastinate, 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; yet when compared to the cost of not having this legal work done and probating an out-dated will or dealing with administration when there is no valid will. So if you or 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 attend to these matters immediately.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This website is designed for general informational purposes. The site is not designed to answer specific questions about your individual situation or entitlement. Do not rely upon the information provided on this website as legal advice in respect of your individual situation nor use it as substitute for individual legal advice. If you want specific legal advice, you need to engage a lawyer under established legal engagement procedures that have been specifically agreed to by that lawyer.
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