LIFE INTERUPTED? HOW PREPARED ARE YOU?
Have you ever had your life interrupted? Just like that you must create a plan B? That was me in the
month of March. In the middle of the night, I was brought to the hospital and ended up staying 12 days.
All is good now but for 12 days they talked about different situations my life might take if the results
were not in my favour. It turned out to be the best outcome and I was able to go back to my regular life.
I would like you to think about if you had to step away from your life and family right now and leave for
12 days with no prep? Would your spouse/partner be able to take over what you usually take
responsibility for? Are your younger kids aware of what it in tales to keep their schedules moving
forward? If you have adult children, would they know where all your important papers are. Do you run
a small business? Do you have someone who can do your invoicing, know your schedule or replace you
while you can’t service your clients?
In the back of our minds, I think we all know that we should have things in place, but I am surprised
when I work with my clients how many don’t. They have thought about it but are too busy to put things
in place. Some feel they just don’t want to think about it, or it won’t happen to me I am healthy, and I
have even heard a few times that they are fearful that if they do it then something bad will happen.
Below are a few ways to be prepared for “life unexpected” whether your single, married, parents or
retired.
1) All in one place: It is very important to have all your important information all in one place. It
may not have to be originals but copies of documents that loved ones may need. A lot of
people are very private and don’t want others to know their business and that is very valid but if
you cannot speak for yourself who would you be able to advocate for you? You could also just
have a list of contact names of the bank manager, your financial advisor or insurance company.
What about your health history? My suggestion is to keep them in an according file or small file
box that is portable and can be grabbed quickly if needed and then they will be also organized
for yourself if you need to access them.
Here is a list of some items:
- Health records (just needs to be a list of conditions you may have)
- Medication you take (again a list of medications and why you take them).
- Insurances- life, long-term, car insurance, home insurance
- Government documents (Health cards, SIN, Driver’s License)
- Doctors’ names and numbers
- Lawyer’s names and numbers
- Will, Executer, POA
- Family member contacts if they are from out of town.
- Bank Institutes or Financial advisers that you deal with.
- Home and monthly expenses.
Tip: Most funeral homes have family registry books that they give out that allows you to list all your
important information. I would highly recommend you grab one of those. If you have one but haven’t
filled it out this would be a good time to pull it out.
2) Parent, spouse, caregiver: Are you the one in your relationships that seems to know what
everyone is doing and how to keep everything moving smoothly? Are you the one that
everyone comes to for answers? If you are, you are probably also the type to have a lot in your
head instead of written down. I know a lot of times it is easier to do things ourselves, but I
strongly suggest writing down what it is you are responsible for and delegate what you can. This
allows for others to help in running the household.
3) Have you had that talk with your parents, (they don’t have to be elderly) about whether their
documents are in place in case something were to happen to them. To some these questions
can be very stressful to bring up but think about if something happens and you didn’t know
anything about their situation or wishes.
At Chaos to Clarity we help our clients with individual organizing needs; Downsizing,
decluttering, office organizing, estate clear-outs and move management in the
Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton, Mississauga and surrounding areas
