CSA End-of-Life Planning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a senior names a 'successor trustee' in a revocable living trust, what is that person's role?
- To manage assets during the grantor's lifetime
- To take over trust management if the grantor becomes incapacitated or dies (Correct answer)
- To witness the signing of the trust document
- To distribute assets immediately upon trust creation
Correct answer: To take over trust management if the grantor becomes incapacitated or dies
A successor trustee steps in to administer the trust when the original trustee (usually the grantor) can no longer serve due to incapacity or death.
Question 2: Which of the following is NOT typically a goal of palliative care?
- Pain and symptom management
- Emotional and spiritual support
- Curative treatment of the underlying disease (Correct answer)
- Improving quality of life
Correct answer: Curative treatment of the underlying disease
Palliative care focuses on comfort, symptom relief, and quality of life rather than curing the underlying disease, though it can accompany curative treatment.
Question 3: A 'DNR' order in a hospital setting instructs medical staff to:
- Withhold all medical treatment
- Not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation if the heart or breathing stops (Correct answer)
- Remove the patient from life support immediately
- Limit treatment to pain management only
Correct answer: Not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation if the heart or breathing stops
A Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order specifically instructs medical personnel not to perform CPR if the patient's heart stops or they stop breathing.
Question 4: For federal estate tax purposes in 2024, the basic exclusion amount per individual is approximately:
- $1 million
- $5.49 million
- $13.61 million (Correct answer)
- $25 million
Correct answer: $13.61 million
The federal estate tax exemption for 2024 is approximately $13.61 million per individual, meaning estates below this threshold owe no federal estate tax.
Question 5: A senior is considering a 'funeral pre-need contract.' What is the primary consumer protection concern with these contracts?
- They cannot be transferred to another funeral home if the family moves
- The funeral home may go out of business before the contract is needed (Correct answer)
- Pre-need contracts are not legally binding in most states
- They always require full upfront payment
Correct answer: The funeral home may go out of business before the contract is needed
A key risk of pre-need contracts is that the funeral home may close before the contract is fulfilled, potentially leaving funds inaccessible or lost.
Question 6: Which term describes a written statement of a person's values and wishes regarding end-of-life care that is NOT a legal document?
- Living will
- Five Wishes document
- Values history (Correct answer)
- POLST form
Correct answer: Values history
A values history is a non-legal narrative document that helps family and providers understand a person's priorities and beliefs about end-of-life care.
Question 7: When both spouses die simultaneously, which legal doctrine determines how property is distributed?
- Rule against perpetuities
- Doctrine of laches
- Uniform Simultaneous Death Act (Correct answer)
- Spendthrift provision
Correct answer: Uniform Simultaneous Death Act
The Uniform Simultaneous Death Act provides rules for distributing property when two individuals die simultaneously or within a short time of each other, typically treating each as having predeceased the other.
CSA End-of-Life Planning 3
When a senior names a 'successor trustee' in a revocable living trust, what is that person's role?