“Do you remember how difficult – and absolutely necessary – it was when it came time to sit with your kids to have ‘the Talk’, the one about the birds and the bees?” asks Tim Prosch.
In his book The Other Talk, Prosch says it may be time to have another talk about the “facts of life”, but this time it’s about the end of life – yours.
The National Hospice Foundation has found that 75% of Americans don’t make their end-of-life decisions known to their families through either verbal or written communication; a Pew Research Center surveyrevealed that only 55% of adult children have talked to their parents about what to do if the parents become unable to live independently.
“The unfortunate consequence of protecting your kids is that, when circumstances eventually force your family to confront reality… you (but most likely your kids) will be reacting in crisis mode,” Prosch cautions.
“What you need to remember,” he adds, “is that the Other Talk isn’t just about the orderly distribution of your assets while you’re alive and when you are gone. It’s also a means to an end: how to get the most out of the rest of your life and how to involve your kids in that adventure.”
Since Rebecca W. Geyer & Associates is an estate planning and elder law firm, we couldn’t agree more. As part of becoming a resource for clients, we aim to combine clear and concise legal recommendations with responsiveness. Since elder law involves planning for the complex health, long-term care, and other issues faced by aging individuals and their families, we know how crucially important that Other Talk can be. We understand the challenges, fears, and family dynamics that inevitably come into play as part of “the Talk”, and do everything in our power to encourage and enable the process for our clients (who may be the children or the parents)..
As Tim Prosch so aptly describes the process, the Other Talk gives parents and kids the tools to develop a strong partnership to plan for the rest of the parents’ lives.
– By Ronnie of the Rebecca Geyer & Associates blog team
