A letter of intent is how you tell future caregivers who your loved one is. The trust moves money. The letter explains the person: routines, preferences, what calms them, and what you hope for their days.
The short answer
What to put in the letter
- Daily routines, including meals, sleep, and how the day usually starts
- Medical care, medications, providers, and what has not worked
- How they communicate, and what helps when they are overwhelmed
- People who matter: family, friends, teachers, and caregivers
- Activities they enjoy, and the ones to skip
- Your hopes for housing, work, faith, and time with family
You do not need perfect prose. A dated letter you can update is better than a polished one you never finish.
Who it is for
The trustee uses it when they do not know your loved one the way you do. A successor caregiver uses it in the first weeks. Siblings use it when they are trying to honor what you would have done. Write as if the reader has never sat at your kitchen table.
How it works with the trust
The trustee still follows the trust. The letter does not let them skip a rule, change who inherits, or ignore SSI and Medicaid limits. It helps them spend allowed funds on the right extras, in the right way. Keep a copy with the trust documents, and tell the trustee where to find it.
When to update it
Review it when school, housing, health, or the people around your loved one change. A short dated addendum is enough. Bring it to your planning meeting if you want help deciding what belongs in the letter and what belongs in the trust.
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change, and every family is different.