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Page 18 avy eniiooravvy S iorn or avvyavy vvy io iori by Jim Miller A Checklist of What to Do When a Loved One Dies Dear Savvy Senior, What steps need to be taken after a loved one dies? My 71-yearold uncle, who’s divorced with no children, has terminal cancer. He’s asked me to take care of his aff airs so I would like to fi nd out what I need to do after he passes away. Unsure Nephew Dear Unsure, I’m very sorry to hear about your uncle. The death of a loved of can bring about a host of diff erent tasks and responsibilities. Here’s a list of some things you can do now, and after his death, that can help keep a sad event from becoming even more diffi cult. Before Death Occurs There are several tasks you can do now while your uncle is still living that will make things easier for you after he dies. For starters, fi nd out where he keeps all his important papers like his trust and/or will (also make sure it’s updated), birth certifi cate, Social Security information, life-insurance policies, military discharge papers, fi nancial documents, key or combination to a safe deposit box or a home safe. Also make a list of his digital assets (including usernames and passwords) like his email account, online banking accounts, social media accounts, etc. If your uncle doesn’t have an advanced directive, help him make one (see CaringInfo.org for free state-specifi c forms and instructions). An advanced directive includes a living will that specifi es his end-of-life medical treatments and appoints a health-care proxy to make medical decisions if he becomes incapacitated. In addition, you should also make a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. Your uncle’s doctor can help you with this. You should also pre-arrange his funeral, memorial service, and burial or cremation. Immediately After Death Once your uncle dies, you’ll need to get a legal pronouncement of death. If no doctor is present, you’ll need to contact someone to do this. If he dies at home under hospice care, call the hospice nurse, who can declare his death and help facilitate the transport of the body. If he dies at home without hospice care, call your uncle’s doctor. You’ll then need to call the funeral home, mortuary or crematorium to pick up the body. If your uncle is an organ or tissue donor, contact the funeral home or the county coroner immediately. Within a Few Days If funeral plans were not pre-arranged, you’ll need to make arrangements and prepare an obituary. If your uncle was in the military or belonged to a fraternal or religious group, you should contact those organizations too, because they may have burial benefi ts or conduct funeral services. You should also notify family members, close friends and his employer if he was still working, and make sure his home is secured. Up to 10 Days After Death To wind down your uncle’s fi nancial aff airs, you’ll need to get multiple copies of his death certifi cate, which are typically ordered by the funeral home. If you’re the executor of your uncle’s estate, take his will to the appropriate county or city offi ce to have it accepted for probate. And open a bank account for your uncle’s estate to pay bills, including taxes, funeral costs, etc. You also need to contact your uncle’s estate attorney if he has one; tax preparer to see if estate or fi nal income taxes should be fi led; fi nancial advisor for information on fi nancial holdings; life insurance agent to get claim forms; his bank to locate and close accounts; and Social Security, the VA (if he’s a veteran) and other agencies that provided benefi ts in order to stop payments. You should also cancel his credit cards, delete or memorialize his social media accounts and, if relevant, stop household services like utilities, mail, etc. His home and personal belonging will also need to be dealt with in the coming weeks. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, December 30, 2022 BHRC | FROM PAGE 16 Sen. Jason Lewis ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL Yes - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Probate and Family Court 10-U Commerce Way Woburn, MA 01801 (781) 865-4000 Docket No. MI22A1435AD CITATION G.L.c.210, § 6 In the matter of: Maressa Gomes Fernandes To: Ricardo Rocha and any unnamed or unknown parent and persons interested in a petition for the adopiton of said child and to the the Department of Children and Families of said Commonwealth. A petition to has been presented to said court by: Angelo Antonio De Oliveira Mariney De Oliveira of Woburn, MA of Woburn, MA requesting for leave to adopt said child and that the name of the child be changed to Maressa Fernandes De Oliveira If you object this adoption you are entitled to the appoinment of an attorney if you are an indigent person. An indigent person is defined by SJC Rule 3:10. The definition includes but is not limited to persons receiving TAFDC, EACDC, poverty related veteran’s benefits, Medicaid, and SSI. The Court will determine if you are indigent. Contact an Assistant Judicial Case Manager or Adoption Clerk of the Court on or before the date listed below to obtain the necessary forms. IF YOU DESIRE TO OBJECT THERETO, YOU OR YOUR ATTORNEY MUST FILE A WRITTEN APPEARANCE IN SAID COURT AT: Woburn ON OR BEFORE TEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING (10:00 AM) ON 01/18/2023. WITNESS, Hon. Maureen H. Monks, First Justice of this Court. Date: November 17, 2022 TARA E. DeCRISTOFARO REGISTER OF PROBATE December 30, 2022 SEVERAL LEGISLATORS DECLINE TO COMMENT ON THEIR BILLS SHIPPED OF TO STUDY COMMITTEES AND ESSENTIALLY DEFEATED. Here are fi ve bills that were shipped off to a study committee where bills are rarely actually studied and are essentially defeated. It is a way to kill a proposal without holding a vote on the bill itself. The sponsoring representative of each bill did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on why they sponsored the measure, how they feel about their proposal essentially being defeated and whether they plan to refi le the bill in 2023. HATE CRIME (H 2443) – Adds an “attack on a police offi cer which results in serious injury or death” to the defi nition of a hate crime in Massachusetts. Current law defi nes a hate crime as any criminal act “coupled with overt actions motivated by bigotry and bias including, but not limited to, a threatened, attempted or completed overt act motivated at least in part by racial, religious, ethnic, handicap, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation prejudice, or which otherwise deprives another person of his constitutional rights by threats, intimidation or coercion, or which seeks to interfere with or disrupt a person's exercise of constitutional rights through harassment or intimidation.” Supporters say that the recent increase in attacks on police offi cers across the nation is outrageous and that attacks on police offi cers who risk their lives every day should be a special protected class under the state’s hate crime law. Sponsor Rep. David DeCoste (R-Norwell) did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on his bill. FALSE MARINE DISTRESS CALLS (H 2458) – Requires the Massachusetts Secretary of the Executive Offi ce of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Attorney General to establish regulations setting a penalty schedule for individuals making false marine distress calls. The penalties must include reimbursements by individuals making the false call of the costs incurred by the responding state agencies. Supporters say that these false calls can cost the state thousands of dollars and also tie up emergency response teams that could be responding to real distress calls. Sponsor Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call BHRC| SEE PAGE 20 Broadway Office Space For Lease Prime Broadway Location, 1,500 Sq. Ft. with conference Room, Lobby/Waiting Area, and Kitchen. Ideal for Law or Tax Office. Call Matt at (617) 699-0887

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