This topic is obviously very personal: everyone will have their own opinion. I have many friends who helped their elderly parents alone for years, while their siblings did nothing. My opinion is that the helping adult child should inherit more, so they’re not financially ruined after spending so much time, energy & stress, helping.
I might have considered it a privilege to care for my parents, had they not expected it ONLY from me. ( At one point, I was the only one working and, as the only daughter, you can bet I resented it.)
Essentially you must make the decision that works for YOU. And you must take care of you first!
I think that's bee the world from day one. Boys get the support and girls get the duties. How wrong it is too.
My friend is currently caregiving to her boyfriend's incontinent mother with dementia because he 'just can't do it'. You know what my response was when I heard this nonsense?
BC: "If you can wipe your own a$$ you can wipe someone else's."
The 'just can't do it' would never fly coming from a woman and sadly that's our world.
In a previous post, you wrote: "I am the “worker bee”. I do all the MD’s, finances, shopping, navigating staff issues, toe nail clipping etc. I have decided to forgive and forget and see this as my walk in life. I got some online mental counseling. I also attend a dementia support group. I feel so much better. My brothers “help” with mom is sporadic."
Why can't you get your retirement back?
As a 24/7 caregiver for their father, I totally appreciate and understand the sacrifice whenever either of our sons help us. They both have very different personalities and talents along with different family, church and career responsibilities that I don't expect them to forego unless we are in the middle of a crisis. Because of all this, we can't possibly treat them equally (except with our love) and I should never expect them to equally be able to provide care giving services to us.
By the way, they are both listed on my POA and HPOA and backups on their father's so they can step in and help should I ever not be able to handle something.
Money separates families. Don’t let it do it to yours. Take what you get and continue to love your siblings.
No one should ever take what they get. If one sibling is responsible for all of the caregiving, then that sibling deserves either all if the inheritance or the lion's share of it at least.
If siblings are worried about potential future inheritance from parents being divided up equally among them, they would be dividing up the caregiving responsibility equally as well. If there's no caregiver, then mom and dad go into managed care. If they go into managed care there will be zero inheritance. Siblings who are not caregiving should always kee this in the forefront of their minds.
If their sister 'Judy' or brother 'Billy' didn't move into mom/dad's place or move mom/dad into their house, they'd be in an AL or nursing home. Then there would be nothing.
'Judy' and 'Billy' deserve way more of the inheritance than they do.
My sister is POA and also local and helps out a lot. My three brothers live scattered around the country and have helped when they've visited, etc.
I would never ever ever in my life expect to get MORE of what Dad leaves behind than my siblings. I LOVE my brothers and sis and he is OUR Dad. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to give back for all the providing Dad (and Mom). I have no idea what total $$ Dad has/will have when he moves on and I don't even care. I choose to focus on the larger reward of providing comfort and joy to my Father.
Good for you, BurntCaregiver. And I hope that you decide not to share any of your inheritance when the time comes.
My mother made noises at one point that she could change the trust. She didn't have the wherewithal to make an appointment to do that on the phone, and I of course wouldn't have helped in any way (to include driving her to said appointment; I was her sole source of transportation).
Even though she did cajole one of my brothers to drive her to the attorney to change her POA on one of his infrequent trips to visit (I and another brother were taken off the POA), I doubt she would have gotten away with removing me as a beneficiary to the trust.
She brought it up at my sister's house last week about how she wants to change it and leave it in equal shares. My sister understands that I've made her nice life possible for years now because she doesn't do any of the caregiving.
My mother knows that if she tries to make a move like this that I will place her and let a nursing home take the property.
I have been my mother's sole caregiver for years now. Her property is set up in such a way that I get back what I've put in here (she made bad financial choices) and I decide if I want to share any of it. There's been some talk from her lately about wanting to change it and leave it equally to her grandkids, my sibling, and myself. No way. She cannot legally change it without me though and I will not help her to do this. I told her some time back that I will completely and utterly abandon her if she even tries to make another "arrangment" with the property behind my back and that I'll hear no more threats of it. Also, if it's changed it's no longer a protected asset from Medicaid. I've earned this place. You earned more too.
My dad insisted I be paid for the two months I gave him and my mom 24/7 before he died. He didn't put it in writing, but he told his attorney who also agreed with him. I considered it a privilege to care for my parents, and yes, it was a brutal couple of months, but I felt very uncomfortable with the idea of being paid. However, after my dad's death, the attorney told me sternly that I MUST pay myself (I'm also the trustee) at a comparable rate that a paid caregiver would receive.
I ended up being paid $30,000 for those two months, but it was long before I inherited anything. Four years later, I'm still working on wrapping up my parents' estate and will finally be able to get my inheritance in the next couple of weeks. I have not charged the estate for my trustee work since the first year after Dad died, but I think I've been adequately compensated already.
Money makes people crazy. I'm just glad it's almost over.
No one seems to understand the financial burden caregivers undertake when they give up so much of their time, earning potential, and finances to take care of Mom and Dad!
Fortunately my mother had the means to have a private PSW for 10 hours a day for 4 months. She is now just recently placed in an assisted care facility.
I took care of her for 4 months daily (only) and had no help from my brother, nieces or SIL during that time. I didn't expect to be paid for my time but knew I needed to get back to my business shortly.
My point is- It is so very important to have a proper Will drawn up prior to a parent needing care. A discussion about who may be able to assist on a part time or full time basis. Will payment be given or not (circumstances- said person, takes a leave of absence to carry said role out, time frame) Is an assisted living facility a plan for future.
If a parent has dementia and a Will has not be drawn up with specific guidelines and discussed prior, with family members- then it may become a litigious matter and something that should be avoided with proper planning ahead of time.
I feel that whatever the parent does about inheritance it is always best to let the children know what they are doing, and why. It saves a lot of heartache later.
If the family’s males are sexist and ‘entitled’, the women have usually been indoctrinated to be self-sacrificing. It’s also linked to a view that people who work for money only care about the money. Our many women carers need to think about it carefully.
My 'tech support' DH will never offer the 'personal service care' his sister's do.
One said she wants to help, loves to help, even said she wanted to be SEEN to be the Best Helper (as she attempted to roster others to do the work). So amazingly, possesses excellent insight to her motivation! Not financially motivated at all - but to be the 'Good Daughter'.
But so many women leave their paid jobs, even their homes & then that co-dependant situation is set up & financials become messy & mixed up too.
POA should address all things medical as well. If you have a POA that states you should get paid and don’t pay yourself then that is on you. You have a right to reimburse yourself for expenses. Read your parents POA. A professional non-family member POA will charge $150 an hour.
Kids have a discussion with your elderly parents before its too late.
i knew a family that was 2 daughters and 2 sons. When the parents got old w dementia and other issues the daughters practically worked themselves to a nub taking care of the parents, taking turns staying with them round the clock, taking to dr appts, cooking, bathing, changing adult diapers, getting up and down all night etc., spending MUCH time away from their own families. This went on for YEARS.
The sons visited occasionally, but were busy w their own families, couldn’t be bothered. The elderly mother died first.
The contents of the will were unknown and all the property was in the father’s name. He died about a year after the mother.
This family owned 2 large farms worth $hundreds of thousands of dollars which each parent had inherited from their own parents. When the will was read, the SONS each received one farm, with the unenforceable understanding that they would farm it. They also received a lot if money. Each Daughter received $10,000!
Each son immediately sold their inherited farm and gave not one dime to the daughters who had done all of the work!
In fact, I will go so far as to say if one adult sibling does all the caregiving and usually spends years at a time doing all of it, they should receive HALF of the parents' estate. Regardless of how many other siblings or grandchildren there may be.
My siblings got no inheritance from our father. I had to be 100% responsible for him so I took whatever was available after the bills.
I've been totally responsible for my mother's care for years. I not only put up with her crap for years, but also clean it. She would have lost her home if not for me, so it is for me. I have it in writing. My sibs could have stepped up at any time and helped, but didn't.
There is no way I would be caregiving for my mother if I was not going to inherit this property and she knew it. Once it becomes an exempt asset from Medicaid next spring I will be able to leave here then bring in homecare or even place her if needs be.
Mother will leave a fairly small inheritance. Divided amongst the 5 living sibs, it's less than $10K per child. My YB has taken care of mother for 25 years--at first it was not a burden, but the last 10-12 years have been awful, in many ways.
My OS, YB and I all plan to gift our portion of the inheritance to YB. $10k won't make a ripple in my financial wellness, but it will to YB. $30K will ease his financial burdens a lot.
Yb has a weird relationship with mother and he has truly been a 'gatekeeper', but for whatever reasons he has for doing so--he still keeps her home and takes her to all appts and deals with stuff none of the rest of us have. Not that we wouldn't, or couldn't, but he wouldn't allow us.
All that will be water under the bridge. Even tho he kept mother a semi-prisoner in her own apt, he did care for her and did a LOT of yucky chores.
That's good you and your siblings will do what's right for your caregiver brother. Most families won't.
My mom will probably invite my sister and granddaughter to live with her for free after my dad passes, mainly for companionship. It’ll save thousands in rent for my sister. My mom still drives, goes to art class, even walks my sisters dog. There are no loss of actual adl.
If it gets to the point where help with toileting and other adls are required, that will be a stickier situation. However, she will not be quitting her job.
In “certain” circumstances the child who was the caregiver should get 90% of it.
The reasoning behind this is if the parents went into a nursing home or AL there would be nothing fo them anyway. So the caregiving sibling should be considered like a nursing home or AL.
I believe that inheritance is not a right nor should it be an expectation.
Money saved by parents should be used for THEIR care. If there is anything left great it can be split or done with as the parents wish. If there has been no designation then evenly split after debts are paid. (if any child, grandchild owed money that should be taken into account and "deducted")
And I think that any funds should be put toward grandchildren's education or for their future. In most cases "helping children" are all adults with retirement plans that should have been funded BEFORE helping a parent. No one should be "financially ruined" by helping a parent.
The parents were very aware the situation would ruin her financially. They left her a big inheritance. After the parents died, she was able to get back on her feet, start a business.
If for example in my own case one of us (we are 3 daughters) took on the responsibility , when the time comes, of most of the care duties, then I think some financial reward to that child would be very acceptable during that time, and not to the others during that period. In terms of general inheritance after the death...I personally think 3 way split would still stand. Others may disagree.
This inheritance topic is so sensitive and I have witnessed siblings after the death of a parent(s) fall out and not speak again. Because of this ugliness in my opinion and the sure possibility of it happening, I have taken the stance of telling my parents (they are 82 and 87 atm) to write me out of any inheritance and bypass me completely , and give it to my kids , should they wish. This was done on my part several months ago and man do I feel FREE now. Each to their own at the end of the day!
Helper Sib: good helpful child 😇. Loving, giving, selfless.
But here's another (distasteful) view..
Helper Sib: As above, wishes to be seen as The Golden Child. Self-esteem built on attention for good deeds.
Close with parent 😀.
Encourages co-dependancy 😶. Becomes #1 helper 😞. Gate-keeps out other sibs & non-family/formal supports 😖. Feels entitled for renumeration, despite carving out this position for self & holding others out 😤.
Seen this pattern a few time now. Often unpartnered/divorced/left partner for elder parent. Sib needed secure housing + parent needed care = so this *social contract* was a good solution for both sides at the time.
We do read MANY tales from the Helper Sib desperate for help, asking & pleading their sibling for it.
But we also get a few from non-helping sibs being totally shut out.
Just another side - feel free to comment!
I agree that inheiritence is a gift.
Paying for service in the living time would probably increase fairness.
I read so many stories on here from the sole caregiver whose siblings did nothing to help and yet in a lot of cases were treated more kindly or received more after the passing of the parent. Sadly, I think it's par for the course.
In a perfect world I'd say yeah, of course the helping child should inherit more but we all know this ain't a perfect world.