08/08/2025
Caroline's Story
She was born in 1940 to Henry and Beatrice, who lived in Brownsville, on Chicago's South Side. Henry worked for years at a meatpacking plant. They were able to build a life there, despite the hardships of the Great Depression.
Caroline grew into a capable young woman and in 1963 became a "stewardess," now known as a flight attendant. She met all of the discriminatory requirements, having no children and being fit and polished. Caroline first worked for American Airlines and then for United Airlines. She was truly an American girl, with a touch of glamour.
By 1973, stewardesses were required to retire from the industry at her age. However, at the same time, there was a push to remove the discriminatory policies from the industry, and Caroline was able to hold on to her job. Caroline was able to work for several more years as a flight attendant and retired with sufficient income.
Through the years, Caroline remained unmarried but stayed close to her family including her two older sisters. She retired at the age of 65 and transplanted herself to an area in the mountains where she felt at peace and productive. She enjoyed gardening and social activities with friends.
By 2018, her friends began to notice some personality changes, such as forgetfulness and a lack of concern. Then came the pandemic, her friendships became disconnected, and her sisters had passed away. Eventually, Caroline showed symptoms of dementia.
Caroline's neighbors became concerned and called Adult Protective Services a number of times in an attempt to provide Caroline with protection.
From others' perspectives, Caroline's life became chaotic, unpredictable, and unsafe. She experienced what is called anosognosia, a neurological disorder where the person is unaware of their deficits. This problem is common in people who are exhibiting symptoms of dementia.
It became obvious that Caroline was no longer able to manage her own personal or financial affairs. Sadly, the court had to assign professional fiduciaries to serve as conservators for her protection. Caroline had not taken the necessary steps to select her own surrogate decision-makers prior to her *non compos mentis*, or lack of capacity.
She could have gone to an estate planning attorney to have documents drawn up which she could sign that would have given her control over who would be her decision-maker in a situation like this. The documents would also have allowed her to dictate how she would be cared for, where she would live, her end of life wishes, and to whom her assets would go upon her passing.
Caroline holds more than the maximum allowable of assets and when she passes her estate administrator will not be able to avoid the public and expensive process of probate.
We have other real-world situations where people do not heed the advice of handling their estate planning before it's too late. It's sad, it's expensive, and it's public when you don't take the necessary steps to plan appropriately.
Caroline is currently doing well living in a memory care unit, comfortably and happily in a safe environment. Her estate is being administered by professionals to ensure that her assets are used effectively for her care, well-being and life.
[Names and some details changed for confidentiality and generalization.]
