Yes it's very important to get the paperwork out of the way...that includes a trust so that everything can pass on to who he wants it to, without probate taking 1/2 of it, the pour-over will for anything he may have forgotten in the trust, and an advance directive regarding who he wants to make his medical decisions when he can't...and what he wants done when... and a durable power of attorney so that whomever he specifies can continue his business legally...durable because normal powers of attorney end when the giver becomes incompacitated or dies.

I find that generally the older person is appreciative of the concern, and is more than willing to talk about these things. Usually it's when family won't discuss such issues that the elderly feel isolated; they need to talk about it.

tc