Having a child attain the age of 18 brings with it the legal age of majority and autonomy in her decisionmaking. One aspect of this age of “adulthood” that may not be readily apparent to both the now-adult child and her parents is the immediate loss of the parents’ ability to serve as a decisionmaker. Simply stated, as the “child” is now an adult, the young adults’ parents no longer have access to and ability to serve as a financial or medical decisionmaker for their child. As this article explains, this can have serious implications in the case of an adult child who becomes incapacitated for any reason — illness or accident — even of a temporary nature. Well planned parents and their adult children should consider getting, at a minimum, incapacity planning documents in place, which includes an Appointment of Health Care Representative and Power of Attorney document.
My Child is 18 Years Old! Estate Planning for Young Adults
