When somebody can’t handle the day-to-day, we call it activities of daily living, they’re going to end up having to have somebody help them. Sometimes it’s a family member, but it can get to the point where you need somebody to come in, home health care, or you have to live in an assisted living facility. It can even be so bad that you end up in a nursing home. These options can be expensive, some very expensive.

So what we try to tell people is plan early for those options so that you don’t have to ask the question: Well, what do I do now that I can’t take care of myself? If you put the proper estate planning documents in place and do some long-term care planning, you will be in a much better position to be able to protect assets and qualify for any governmental assistance or other type of programs to help you pay for care.