It is a very important issue that many of don't pay attention to @arpie Having children doesn't mean you can trust them with your life or finances, deciding on who will carry the can is a complex problem.
I've had to evoke power of attorney, both medical and financial, for my mother on two occasions. It is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. As it happens, she survived against all odds but was then in a position where she could not continue to live at home or manage her finances. It still erks me that my previous attempts at conversations about nursing homes and where the hell she had her money stashed (all over the bloody place) were met with 'We don't need to talk about that.' I have no idea how someone without a degree of comfort about ferreting through her affairs would have managed.
I'm now trying to balance the issue. My partner of 5 years, who doesn't live with me, is uncomfortable about taking up the role, I'm estranged from most of my family and I gave birth to Peter Pan who would have no idea what to do and doesn't want to know. Ah, the joys.
