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Parent of a Graduating Senior? Avoid this “Nightmare” Scenario

Your graduating senior may always be your baby, but in the eyes of the law, he or she is now an adult.

You need to understand that you can no longer make important medical or financial decisions for your child without their permission.  This can be problematic when your adult child still is relying on you for the majority of their support.

Doctors and financial institutions must abide by privacy laws.  As a result, you need several key documents in place if you want to make important decisions on your child’s behalf.  Many parents have found themselves in the nightmare scenario where their child needs medical attention for some reason, and they are hundreds of miles away at school, but the hospital refuses to provide a mere status update as to their condition, all because the right documents aren’t in place.

Warning: these statistics are extremely unfortunate and saddening; they reflect an all-too-unfortunate picture of reality.  Still, they must be understood to best prevent them from increasing.  Parents must acknowledge these figures and proactively seek the documents right for their adult children.

Each Year:

  • 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes.
  • 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol.
  • More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem (Hingson et al., 2002), and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use.For more statistics, visit CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov.  Statistics based on Hingson et al., 2002, 09).

Our Level 1 Planning Package is perfect for parents concerned with the issues raised by the statistics above.  Click here for more information on why the documents are so important, and then click here to speak with someone happy to schedule you a free, initial consultation.  Or if you prefer, you are always welcome to call us at (703) 691-1888.

Image courtesy of Photographer: digitalart

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About Evan H Farr, CELA, CAP

Evan H. Farr is a 4-time Best-Selling author in the field of Elder Law and Estate Planning. In addition to being one of approximately 500 Certified Elder Law Attorneys in the Country, Evan is one of approximately 100 members of the Council of Advanced Practitioners of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and is a Charter Member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners.

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