Wills and Wishes: Why Talking with Your Parents Matters

As adult children, we want to be there for our aging parents in meaningful ways. If you’re thinking about how to support your parents as they get older, you’re asking all the right questions. 

As an adult child, you’ll play an important role in your parents’ wellbeing and, ultimately, their estate. There are three key documents that make the future easier to navigate: 

1. Personal Directive: This outlines your parents’ non-financial wishes if they are temporarily (for example, during a hospital stay) or permanently (such as loss of mental capacity) unable to make decisions for themselves. 

1. Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA): This applies during times when your parents cannot manage their own financial or legal matters. Without an EPA, it can be very challenging to manage everyday tasks such as bills, utilities, or banking. 

1. Will: A will explains what happens with your parents’ belongings, and who has the authority to handle their estate, including property, accounts, and personal items. 

Having these documents in place makes life much easier for adult children. Many families, however, find themselves unprepared because they haven’t had these important conversations–understandably so, thinking about these scenarios isn’t always easy. 

That’s why we run Wills Week, free sessions from Alberta will and estate lawyers who explain why it’s important to have an up-to-date will, along with a personal directive and EPA.  

Attending with your parents can spark important conversations, such as: 

• When was the last time their will was updated? 

• Do they also have a personal directive and EPA prepared? 

• Where are these documents kept? 

Sometimes cultural or language barriers get in the way, or information from other provinces or countries can cause confusion. Being ready to listen, understand concerns, and help with next steps —  like booking a meeting with an estate lawyer — goes a long way toward easing stress for everyone. 

Invite your parents to join you for one of our Wills Week presentations. Each session is tailored to Alberta law and presented by local lawyers — free of charge. It’s an opportunity to prepare together, so you can all feel more confident about the future. 

Find an in-person session near you or register in advance for an online session.