AARP Puerto Rico held an educational session, "Cuidador, ¿estás preparado para tomar decisiones importantes?" (Caregiver, are you ready to make important decisions?), on Friday, November 6 at the Centro Yolanda Guerrero in Guaynabo, where about 100 caregivers and older adults received guidance on legal planning tools: the will, the durable power of attorney and advance directives (living wills).
The will sets how a person’s assets are distributed after death; the durable power of attorney authorizes another person to manage assets and make decisions on someone’s behalf; advance directives state preferences for medical treatment in advance of an incapacity to communicate them. Alejandro Figueroa Quevedo, deputy executive director of Servicios Legales de Puerto Rico, said the questions he hears daily are who will make decisions when a person cannot, to what degree a person can decide, and what will happen after death, and that the three documents address those doubts.
José R. Acarón, AARP’s state director, cited a 41% rise in the island’s aging rate according to the Institute of Statistics (IEPR) and said it means "living longer," not aging, urging people not to wait until old age; he said he prepared his own legal documents before turning 40. AARP reported Puerto Rico has more than 500,000 family caregivers who together perform more than 380 million hours of unpaid work annually, valued at an estimated $3.2 billion, and that 68% of caregivers cover care-related expenses from their own budgets.
Eddie Olivera Robles, AARP’s public policy director, stressed access to legal tools. The Fundación Fondo de Acceso a la Justicia, Pro Bono, Inc. and Servicios Legales de Puerto Rico offered free personalized guidance at the event. Lizzette Vélez, who cares for her 92-year-old mother, said she left with tools to act at home with her children.
Víctor Pérez, executive director of Pro Bono de Puerto Rico, said free legal assistance is available year-round to those who meet eligibility requirements. After sessions in Caguas and Guaynabo, AARP Puerto Rico plans to expand the initiative to other towns next year.