Awareness & Estate Planning in May

With summer just around the corner, this month I’m trying to better my health to be in the physical and mental shape desired to best enjoy our warm and active months in San Diego.  In May there are many awareness campaigns to help us all better our health, and the health of our loved ones.  A few of my favorites are listed below!

National Women’s Health Week

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated May 12-18th as National Women’s Health Week.  It empowers women to make their health a priority and encourages them to take five steps to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risk of certain diseases:

1. Visit a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings
2. Get active
3. Eat healthy
4. Pay attention to mental health (get sleep and manage your stress)
5. Avoid unhealthy behaviors

Please take an additional step that week as well:

• Prepare or review your Advance Health Care Directive with an attorney

Part of being proactive and aware of your health also means preparing for the future, and arranging who can best make your health care decisions for you if you are unable to yourself.  You are able to do this via an Advance Health Care Directive. Additional health care documents may be necessary for your planning purposes as well, such as a Living Will and HIPAA Authorization.

Children’s Mental Health Week

May 5^th-11^th is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, organized by the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.  The goal is to provide education about children’s mental health, encourage families in need of care to seek help, and eradicate mental health stigma.

If you or a loved one is physically or mentally disabled, supplemental needs planning should be considered when doing your estate plan.  A Supplemental Needs Trust, which may also be referred to as a Special Needs Trust, is used to improve the quality of life of a disabled child or adult.  It is a vehicle to supplement and preserve any benefits received through or from various governmental assistance programs.

Be active and proactive in May, and don’t forget to seek out and spread awareness for causes personal to you!
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Christine Ellingsen is a Northern California native now practicing law as an estate planning attorney in Carmel Valley San Diego at the Barger Law Group, APC.  She spent a year in New York working in the business sector before moving to Southern California to attend law school at the University of San Diego.  She is happy to have started her law career in San Diego and to now call Encinitas home, where she keeps busy between exploring Coastal North County and training her new puppy.