Legal, Wills, Power of Attorney & Financial

• Advance Care Planning: Advance Directives for Health Care  (USA - family back home) & Covered by Medicare, who knew?

• How Do You Divide Inheritance Fairly in Advance? (German - Süddeutsche Zeitung gift article) 

• Retirement Planning Guidebook: Navigating the Important Decisions for Retirement Success - Wade Pfau

• Advice from German Government for Germans living and working in the US re retirement. English section starts on pag 50. - Onlinebooklethere

• Dreaming of retiring? Read this book on how to do it right. - Washington Post Gift Article When the time comes to stop working for good, many people don’t have a plan or the emotional preparation for the change.

In Germany it is legal to chose your own time and place of ending your life. It is possible to have assistance in locating and obtaining drugs that minimize suffering. There are associations that you can join that will start with assessing your options (including chosing to not take action) and then, if you and they choose, guiding you through the process.  Engaging with a formal process opens up the door for clear conversation about pain, functioning, dignity and basic ethics about the preservation of life. In May, the Aging in Germany group heard from Jakob Jaros MSc. about his organization.  Here are some links relating to the topic.

• Audio Recording of the Presentation - Zoom 16/5/24 The presenter asked for the link to be removed after six months. 

• Verein Sterbehilfe 

• Assisted suicide: Germany weighs autonomy and ethics - DW 7/4/23

• “Life was a party, but the party is over. We are ready to go” - Frankfurter Allgemeine 6 May 2022; There is a paywall midway through the first page but chapter headings at the top of the page click through. This article includes an examination of the emotional impact on the family left behind. 

  • The news story above includes the text below which I am copying and pasting here on this page and in this area because I think it is important information to have available. : 

Are you thinking about killing yourself or are you in touch with people thinking about putting an end to their lives?

In Germany, the crisis support service Telefonseelsorge (telefonseelsorge.de) is at 0800/111 01 11 and 0800/111 02 22. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 and online chat is also available. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org. You can also find help at your local doctor or in hospitals. Make sure you get some help. 

• The Champion Who Picked a Date to Die - New York Times (date uncertain)

• The Personal Toll of Photographing a Story About Euthanasia - New York Times 5 Dec 2019