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Last
Modified on
Aug 02, 2026
An estate plan that worked at age 45 may not meet your needs at age 70. Your property may have changed. Your children may now be adults. In addition, the people you once selected to handle financial or medical decisions may no longer be the right choices.
Estate planning for seniors in Louisiana should address more than who inherits after death. A strong plan should also identify who can help during an illness, explain your medical wishes, and give your family the information they will need.
These three steps provide a practical place to start.
1. Review the People and Instructions in Your Plan
First, review who will receive your property. Your will should reflect your current family relationships, property, and intentions. Meanwhile, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and similar assets should work with the rest of the plan.
You should also reconsider the people selected for important roles, including your:
- Executor or succession representative;
- Financial mandatary;
- Health care agent;
- Trustee; and
- Backup decision-makers.
Someone who was a good choice 20 years ago may now live far away, have health problems, or no longer have a close relationship with you. Therefore, each role should include a reliable first choice and, when possible, an alternate.
If you do not have a will, our article about why you should consider drafting one explains how Louisiana’s default inheritance rules may differ from your wishes.
This review should also cover anyone who depends on you. For example, your plan may need to provide for a family member with a disability or explain who should care for a pet. Louisiana law treats pets as property, but an estate plan can name a caregiver and provide funds for continued care. Learn more about estate planning for pets.
2. Prepare for Financial and Medical Decisions During Life
Next, decide who should act if an illness or injury prevents you from managing your affairs.
In Louisiana, a financial power of attorney generally takes the form of a contract of mandate. Civil Code Article 2989defines a mandate as a contract through which one person gives another person authority to transact one or more affairs.
A well-drafted contract of mandate can authorize a trusted person to handle matters such as:
- Banking and investment accounts;
- Real estate;
- Insurance;
- Tax filings;
- Business interests; and
- Applications for benefits or long-term-care services.
Without adequate authority, even a spouse or adult child may have trouble accessing accounts or completing transactions.
Medical planning requires separate attention. A health care power of attorney identifies the person who can make medical decisions if you cannot communicate. An advance directive, sometimes called a living will, can state your preferences concerning life-sustaining treatment in a terminal and irreversible condition.
Louisiana also offers an optional Living Will Registry through the Secretary of State.
A LaPOST form serves a different purpose. It creates medical orders for certain patients with serious, life-limiting, and irreversible conditions. Because a physician must participate in that process, a LaPOST form does not replace an ordinary estate plan or advance directive.
3. Make Sure the Plan Will Work in Real Life
Finally, organize the information that your decision-makers will need. Signed documents provide little help if no one can find them or understand what property you own.
Create a current list of:
- Bank and investment accounts;
- Retirement accounts and beneficiary designations;
- Real estate and mineral interests;
- Insurance policies;
- Business ownership;
- Important debts;
- Digital accounts;
- Professional advisers; and
- Locations of original estate-planning documents.
You do not need to distribute private financial information to every family member. However, at least one trusted person should know where to find the documents and whom to contact during an emergency.
If you have a trust, confirm that the appropriate property has actually been transferred or titled in the trust. Signing a trust without funding it may leave assets subject to a Louisiana succession.
You should also decide how you would pay for assistance at home, assisted living, or nursing-facility care. Options may include long-term-care insurance, retirement income, personal savings, family support, or public benefits for people who qualify. Our article on making long-term care part of your estate planning discusses those choices in more detail.
Field Law Can Help
Preparing for your senior years does not require predicting every possible medical or financial problem. Instead, you need a flexible plan, reliable decision-makers, and documents that work together.
Field Law helps Louisiana clients review and update wills, trusts, mandates, health care documents, and long-term-care plans. If your estate plan no longer reflects your life—or you have never created one—contact Field Law to schedule a consultation.
