Financial - Legal - Medical

Create Your Financial & Estate Plan

The Gayle Wells Foundation for Early Onset Alzheimer’s & Care believes and supports your right to make choices and decisions about your financial, medical, and estate needs.  We know this can be overwhelming to think about in the midst of learning about your diagnosis, but it is a critical step to ensure that your wishes are in place.  

Financial and legal planning allows you to assess your financial situation so that you know what resources you have with respect to your medical and long-term care needs.  We recommend that you begin working on your financial and estate plans as soon as possible so that you can review your options, make choices, and communicate your wishes to your loved ones.

It is a good idea to organize all of your financial and legal documents, as well as other important information (i.e. insurance policies, Social Security information, bank account information, monthly and/or outstanding bills, stock and bond certificates, wills, etc.) as you begin to assess your financial situation.

We have created a checklist to assist in the process of gathering the information you’ll need to create your financial and estate plan.  Click here to access Items to Gather Prior to Meeting with Estate/Financial Planning Professional.

Estate Planning Documents

It is recommended that you visit with an elder law attorney, regardless of your age, as they are the most specialized in knowing which documents are needed to best protect your assets.  They can also provide guidance on how to best utilize your resources for medical and long-term care needs.

If you need assistance locating an elder law attorney, please contact the Gayle Wells Foundation for Early Onset Alzheimer’s and we can provide you with names and contact information for attorneys in your area.

We have provided a brief description of the most common estate planning documents so you can better understand the importance and purpose they serve in protecting your legal and medicals rights.  Click here to access Common Estate Planning Documents.

We have also created a checklist to help keep track of the financial and estate planning items that have been completed.  This document also includes reminders about creating lists of your personal contacts as well as username and passwords for your electronic items and accounts.  Click here to access Checklist of Estate & Financial Planning Documents.

Insurance, Social Security & Other Benefits

When receiving a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s disease, we know there can be challenges and financial obstacles when you are under 60 years of age.   As you begin to assess your financial situation, there are several options to discuss with your estate/financial planning professional. In addition to insurance and benefits, this document also discusses Social Security Disability Income, Medicare, and Medicaid.  Please click here to access Insurance, Social Security & Other Benefits.

Please note the following important information:

The Social Security Administration does not honor Durable Power of Attorney forms in any state.  Please contact your local office of the Social Security Administration to complete their “representative payee” form.   No one will be able to assist with managing your social security benefits unless you make this request with the Social Security Administration.   You can learn more information, including frequently asked questions, by visiting their website at: https://www.ssa.gov/payee/faqrep.htm