Is the Pressure Really Off?
Charlie had been transferred to a nursing home when his wife Doris called. Medicare was paying for his care but she had just learned coverage would stop in another week and the private pay cost of care was $11,000 per month. I could hear the panic in her voice when
BFF and TTYL – What the Heck am I Talking About?
Yesterday, we kicked off my book tour for my new book, “Be Nice to Me – I Pick Your Nursing Home” with an event and book signing at CareOne in Livingston. My 3 children, who Laurie and I expect to be part of our support system when we reach elder
A Family Owned Business Long Term Care Nightmare (Part 1)
George built his manufacturing business from scratch. He and his wife, Claire, had raised a family of 2 boys and a girl, but George treated the business like another child, nurturing it from infancy to maturity. It had allowed him to provide for his family, putting all 3 children through
My Name is on Mom’s Checking Account (Part 2)
Last week we were discussing Melissa and her mom. Melissa has been handling Mom’s finances for several years as agent under Power of Attorney – or so she thought. We discovered that actually Melissa is a co-owner on the account. She can still write checks, pay Mom’s bills, and access
My Name is on Mom’s Checking Account (Part 1)
It’s an issue I deal with frequently as an elder law attorney. Melissa tells me she has been handling Mom’s finances for several years. She writes checks from Mom’s checking account and transfers funds from Mom’s other accounts, as needed, to pay the bills. She says she does it because
Mom Has $1,000,000 – She’ll Never Run Out of Money (Part 2)
Last week we were discussing Paul’s mom, 88 years old and in need of nursing home care. She has $1,000,000 in assets so first impressions suggest that she won’t ever need Medicaid. But, upon further examination, we might want to reconsider that conclusion. Here’s why. Paul’s initial statement about never qualifying,
Mom Has $1,000,000. She’ll Never Run Out of Money (Part 1)
Paul called concerning his 88 year old mother who needs nursing home care. “She doesn’t have a power of attorney. I think she needs one”, he said. I concurred but our conversation didn’t stop there. As we always do, I asked him about Mom’s finances. “Her income consists of Social
The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men
It was a call I received a number of years ago but one I’ll always remember. Don called regarding his mother’s need for long term care. Her health had been slowly declining but she was still living at home. Her investments were dwindling and she needed increase care. It was
End of the World? Fat Chance
I was talking to Warren the other day about long term care and he said – jokingly, I think – that he didn’t need to plan because the end of the world was coming, October 21 to be specific. Usually, I hear people say that the government will bail them
The Death of CLASS
I’m not talking about a loss of manners or style or discretion in a world in which technology has helped push the doors open wide to reveal everything that used to be private or personal. That’s a whole other subject. I’m referring to CLASS, President Obama’s attempt to establish a