Episode 6 of the BBC's series 'Can't take it with you' was shown on friday night entitled ' Disability'.

In the last episode of the series the difficulties surrounding disability were highlighted. Sue Medder one of the presenters of the programe commented:

"Parents with disabled children often face a dilemma over whether or not to treat them differently in their wills from their able-bodied siblings. I don't think there is any right answer here - I would recommend families have an open discussion about it before arriving at any hard and fast conclusions. Leaving large sums of money to disabled people may affect some of their benefits, and it is definitely worth taking legal advice if you are concerned about this issue. The rules around this vary from region to region."

In the episode we were introduced to Bruce who wanted to write a will that left nothing to his children or his autistic grandson but instead left everything to his two other grandchildren. This caused an issue in the family as they totaly disagreed with his plan.

We were also introduced to Patsy and Andy who couldn't agree on how to provide for their daughter Rebecca. Andy wanted to leave more to her than her brothers because she is severely disabled and will need lifelong care. Patsy on the other hand feels that the estate should be split three ways.

Once again the programe highlighted the very real emotional dilemmas that face parents when writing their wills and that no matter how difficult the decisions they need to be discussed and dealt with.

If you are facing a similar dilemma please do not hesitate to contact either Sarah Charnley or Jennifer Wilkinson in our Later Life Planning department on 01704 532890 (Southport office) or 0151 928 6544 ( Waterloo office).