Our brother, our hero
Our brother, Robert, was the oldest of three boys in our family. When he passed away, it felt like we had lost a leg of our tripod, a corner of our triangle. Committed to his family and friends, Robert was always willing to offer extra support during difficult times—like when his own family was touched by dementia. After witnessing the heartbreaking effects of the disease, Robert decided to leave a generous gift to the Alzheimer Society of Canada in his…
7 important reasons to make a will right now (and what happens if you die without one)
How do you want to leave your financial legacy?
Planning for the future is important for everyone, but it’s especially important if you or someone you care about has dementia. That’s why we’ve partnered with RBC Wealth Management Estate & Trust Services to bring you a series of informative blogs about estate planning. In this blog, Leanne Kaufman, Head of RBC Estate & Trust Services, asks ‘What kind of financial legacy do you want to leave behind?’
Power of Attorney: Planning for the future
Follow us, as Elizabeth Murray tells the moving story of her mother’s battle with dementia. In this blog series, Murray explores every part of the experience of caring for someone with dementia, sharing her memories and insights from it all. Her words serve as a great reminder of the many ways dementia affects our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. Two months before she was diagnosed with dementia, my mother and I were reviewing her bankbooks at her…
What will your legacy be?
Death is a fact of life. Because the transition from life to death is an unknown, humans are full of fear. And fear drives us to avoidance. Even though there has been increasing media attention to end-of-life issues recently, we seem to live in a death-phobic, death-avoidance culture. While our television, movie and video game screens are often filled with images of violent death. And news reports remind us every day of various threats to life. Can we shift our…
Make a Will Month – What gifts can I give?
November is Make a Will month in Canada – and this is my sixth and final blog post here for the Alzheimer Society. I would like to thank them so much for this incredible opportunity. The work being done by the Alzheimer Society is incredible and so needed. Hopefully one day there will be a cure for this horrible disease. Now on to my post. The law in Ontario is pretty wide open with regards to giving gifts of property…
Make a Will Month – Powers of Attorney and Living Wills. What are they? Do I need one?
It’s Make a Will month. As guest blogger for the Alzheimer Society this month, my focus has been on – you guessed it – Wills. The importance of making a Will is clear. You get to choose who will get your property, who will be guardians of minor children, and who will manage the business of your estate. This planning is important to determine what will happen after you die. But what happens before you die? As the people at…
Make a Will Month – Tips on how you can get ready
It is Make a Will month in Canada, and I am thrilled to be able to guest blog here on the Alzheimer Society of Ontario’s website. In a previous entry, I outlined the things you need to do to get ready to make your Will. One of the most important things you will do when you make your Will is to decide who will manage the business of settling up and closing your estate once you die – in other…
Make a Will Month – What do I need to do to get ready?
Did you know that making a Will is one of the most important things you will ever do? Most people understand that without being told. So why is it that so many people neglect taking care of this? Often people simply feel overwhelmed. They believe it will take too much time, and will be too difficult. While it might seem a little overwhelming, it really is a simple and straight-forward process. The following is a list of things you will…