The Unclaimed Safe Deposit Box
Having your vital information in one place will protect all your valuables. It will protect your safe deposit box. Here is a story. When my father-in-law died suddenly in an automobile accident, our family visited his apartment to go through his belongings and choose keepsakes as reminders of his life. I opened his desk. It was mostly empty with a few exceptions. I did find a little key. I identified it right away. It was a key to a safe deposit box. There was no information as to where the safe deposit box was. It did not say on the key. I said I would do the research and let the family know what I found out. What I found out was this: You cannot find a safe deposit box from a key. I checked all the surrounding banks. Nothing. The only option was to wait until the request for rental came, and that could have been up to a year. Mail will only be forwarded for 6 months. We were out of luck and out of options.
Your Vital Information in One Place
We never found the box…it might have held lost coins, valuable stamps or money. Sadly, we will never know.
As an RN, I was asked by my patients to put together a list of what might be helpful for an end of life planning guide. I began to give talks on that subject. I grew to the realization that many people were desperate to have something to help them secure their vital information in one place and to document their final wishes. This was the inspiration for my book, “Caring Is Not Enough, My Last Wishes and Personal Records”.
Perhaps you will realize that you have much that needs to be documented for your family. You will learn how to document your final wishes. You will develop much peace of mind and your family will be forever grateful.