Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Friday, October 23, 2009

I have been good friends to a man, that I once worked for, & his wife for over 30 years. When his wife became ill with Parkinson's a few years ago he would call me to come over to help him with her. (Their children live out-of-town.) She passed away the end of January 2009. Since her death him & I talk almost daily & I go by more frequently to check on him, visit, make sure he's eating, etc. He has repeatedly asked me to please come & stay with him since his wife's death. (They were married for over 50 years so I can only imagine how lonesome he is.) Instead of being thankful that there is someone who would take care of their father that cares about his well-being, two of his children are not happy about this possibility & have stated to me, without his knowledge or approval, that they want a contract drawn up if I should decide to move in of what I would be obligated to do in exchange for rent & utilities. (Never mind that I would be putting 99% of my belongings in storage & of what I would be giving up!) The man is 87 yrs. old, in good health & has been told by his doctor that he could live another 10-15 yrs. He has full charge of his faculties but is naturally becoming senile. (I am 57 yrs. old but he'll probably outlive me.) I need to know what I need to do to or what he needs to do to protect myself from any actions that his children may try to bring against me in the future? Should him & I draw up an agreement of our arrangement? If so, what should it cover, or more specifically, state? Should it be notorized or witnessed by an attorney? Any & all advice is welcomed & needed.

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