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Page 1 of 2  "She had one child and didn’t want him to have any financial burdens if something happened to her."
SAN DIEGO – After doing a live television morning show interview, we parked the bus in a high-traffic area in downtown San Diego to talk with people face-to-face. I really want to hear what’s going on first-hand. It wasn’t long before an attractive couple in their early 60s came up. They were very pleasant and asked about the tour and who is Dr. Marion and “Wow! Why would you do this?” I laughed, introduced myself, and told them about the tour. I said I’m doing this because I really don’t have a choice.
I quickly learned that they had been dating for well over a year and thought they knew each other well. I asked them if they had prepared for their future. She had, he had not She perked up proudly and said she had taken care of everything, including long-term care insurance, an up-to-date will, instructions for cremation, and a healthcare proxy and durable power of attorney. She had one child and didn’t want him to have any financial burdens if something happened to her. I noticed that her partner was looking at her like she was from Mars. It turns out that he had taken care of absolutely none of these important things. In fact, he’d never even thought about doing it. And as a couple, they’d never even discussed it. His attitude was that he was healthy and felt good and never needed to go to the doctor, so why would he worry about these things. Handling the matters ASAP We talked through the importance of handling these matters as soon as possible, and when they walked away, the woman’s demeanor and body language toward her partner had changed. But, the good news is that just having the discussion seemed to really help. This episode illustrates the importance of taking the time to make decisions when you have the competency to make them. Don’t leave important questions unanswered. It can be tough to get off the dime on these issues, but you gotta do it. You don’t want to leave things to chance or to others who might not carry out your wishes exactly how you want them to. As this couple found out, just having the discussion is a positive first step to getting your house in order.
Next: Feeling emotionally embraced in the City by the Bay. Dr. Marion stops in San Francisco.
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