The things I learned from Dad

 

I sat down with Dad and Claudia to try to glean any more valuable information I could pass on to you.  I knew it would not be easy for Dad to talk about these issues, but knew I should.

U  He stressed you should not put something off whether it be discussions, decisions, or major things.

U  Don’t put faith in the doctor’s time frame.  They just don’t know.  God is the only one who truly knows.  Mom died twelve days after she got her feeding tube.

U  He mentioned calling the social security office to claim a disability especially with Mom having ALS.  It took two to three months to get her first check.  She only got one disability check even though she could not work for a long time.  From her diagnosis to her death it was only about nine months.  You can look it up on the web and search under social security disability.

U He got information from the ALS Association of Georgia concerning resources and information.

U  He got a power of attorney because Mom couldn’t sign her name.  His financial advisor suggested they get joint accounts because it makes it much easier.

U  If there are investments, you need to put on it a POD (Payable On Death).  A POD is basically any account, investment, etc. when you die it is given to a specified person.  You don’t want to go through a trustee, or a banker to disburse money.

 

U What have you learned from reading this book?  U