So I’ve been wading through a pile of legal and medical paperwork, and I came across this bit about next of kin.. it’s one of those things I’ve always skimmed over, asuming it’s just automatically your closest blood relative like a parent or sibling but.. then I started thinking what if your family situation isn’t exactly straightforward? what if you’re not on good terms with your family or your closest relatives are halfway across the world? does the idea of next of kin even work in those situations?
and it gets even more complicated when you consider modern relationships. Say you’re not married but in a long-term relationship. Or what if your best mate knows more about your life and what you’d want than anyone in your family? can you legally choose them to be your next of kin? I mean I know you can appoint someone as your power of attorney or the executor of your will, but does that automatically override the whole next of kin thing?
and what happens if you don’t specify anyone at all? does the state just default to your nearest blood relative, even if you haven’t spoken to them in years? And what if they live abroad. Or worse.. what if they’re completely incapable of handling things but are still legaly next in line? Is it different in different countries or is there a standard approach.? It feels like this could become a serious problem especially if no one knows what you’d actually want.
I see explanatory articles like this one. I need to study..
have you ever thought about this or had to deal with it in any way? It seems like such a simple concept on the surface…
and it gets even more complicated when you consider modern relationships. Say you’re not married but in a long-term relationship. Or what if your best mate knows more about your life and what you’d want than anyone in your family? can you legally choose them to be your next of kin? I mean I know you can appoint someone as your power of attorney or the executor of your will, but does that automatically override the whole next of kin thing?
and what happens if you don’t specify anyone at all? does the state just default to your nearest blood relative, even if you haven’t spoken to them in years? And what if they live abroad. Or worse.. what if they’re completely incapable of handling things but are still legaly next in line? Is it different in different countries or is there a standard approach.? It feels like this could become a serious problem especially if no one knows what you’d actually want.
I see explanatory articles like this one. I need to study..
have you ever thought about this or had to deal with it in any way? It seems like such a simple concept on the surface…