Home for the Holidays (Part 1)
Once again the holiday season is upon us, a time of joy but also stress. I’ve written about this issue in the past but it bears repeating. We often visit family members we haven’t seen in some time and that’s when changes in older loved ones become more noticeable. Some
Yet Another Scam (Part 2)
Last week I was telling you how Joe got scammed. He paid money to increase his odds of winning a Publisher’s Clearinghouse prize. It was all a lie and he lost more than $22,000 which he wired to an overseas account. His children were as upset about it as
Yet Another Scam
6 months ago I wrote about some common scams that target seniors. Here's another one that doesn't just prey on seniors but really on anyone who is struggling financially. Joe received numerous phone calls from Publisher's Clearinghouse. That's the company that many of us remember because Ed McMahon was
What is Palliative Care? #palliativecare
Human life expectancy in the past 100 years has been substantially lengthened as a result of advances in medical science. However, as we know the quality of an extended life span isn’t always great. Many people live with serious illnesses such as COPD, heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s Disease etc.
Don’t Fall Victim to Elder Fraud (Part 2) #MondayMorningBlog
Last week I was sharing with you the most common scams that target the elderly. This week let’s talk about tips to help avoid these scams, provided courtesy of the National Council on Aging. Never sign blank insurance claim forms. Never give blanket permission to a medical provider to bill for
Don’t Fall Victim to Elder Fraud
In the information age and with the explosion of technology have come fraud, theft and deception of various kinds. Elder fraud is the act of targeting older adults by attempting to deceive them with promises of goods, services or financial benefits that do not exist, were never intended to
More Than Just Power of Attorney
More often than not, the calls we receive in our office concerning a long term care crisis are made by one or more of the adult children of the senior in failing health. We ask whether there is a power of attorney in place which will legally permit a
I’ve Been Named Agent Under Power of Attorney – Now What?
Recently, I was asked to serve as agent under Power of Attorney for husband and wife clients. We’ll call them Harry and Wilma. Both are in their 80’s and just moved to a nursing facility. As their legal representative, I will be doing the types of things that, as an
Should a Loved One with Alzheimer’s Continue to Drive?
It’s a troubling question, given the value we put on independence and the love and the dependence we have on motor vehicles. Taking the car keys away can often seem like a death sentence but must be balanced against the safety of other drivers on the road. I’ve had more conversations
An Update on Family Responsibility Laws
Two years ago I wrote about family or “filial” responsibility laws. What does the law say about a child’s responsibility to pay for a parent’s care? The population is continuing to age and the problem of long term care isn’t going away so what, if anything, has changed in the