incapacitated

“Marriage gives spouses the benefit of many legal presumptions and protections with regards to each other’s property and affairs. An unmarried partner, on the other hand, is at a much worse position than even an estranged child or sibling in a situation where the other partner has died or has become incapacitated,” said Joseph Fresard, elder law attorney at Simasko Law in Mount Clements, Michigan.

Having a “durable” power of attorney stays in effect if you’re incapacitated up until your death.

A financial power of attorney allows someone to manage your finances if you’re incapacitated.

One controller talks of an incapacitated pilot and a “passenger in the cockpit trying to figure out how to fly,” requesting that others monitor the situation.

Should you become incapacitated, the successor trustee of your living trust could access trust assets to pay for your care.