Collecting and organizing your parents legal documents can help you answer many potential questions you may encounter when seeking medical advice or intervention. Use the following information to help you identify the necessary legal documents to locate and keep in order to protect your parents’ future.
What Legal Documents Should I Keep?
There are many different types of legal documents that can help you plan how your parents’ affairs will be handled in the future. These include:
- Wills and trusts
- Living wills
- Advance Directives
- Durable power of attorney for health care
- Marriage certificates
- Birth certificates
- Death certificates
- Divorce Papers
- Drivers Licenses
- Social Security Cards
- Mortgage or Real Estate Deeds
- Vehicle Registration
- Health Insurance ID Cards
- Dental/Medical Records
- Military Records
Additional Things to Remember
Some of the legal documents listed above are common for everyone to have (i.e. driver’s licenses); however others may be less common or unfamiliar. Make sure to ask your parent(s) where they keep all of the documents listed. Keep in mind that many of these documents have names that sound alike, so make sure you are sure of the correct name in order to ensure you get the correct documents. If your parent does not have one or more of the documents listed above you should contact a legal advisor immediately to determine if he/she needs one.
Use the list of key legal documents above to gather and store the documents in the place that makes the most sense for you and your loved one.