More than 35 million people worldwide live with Alzheimer’s today. By 2050, that number is expected to more than triple to 115 million. The 2013 World Alzheimer’s Report, titled ” Journey of Caring: An Analysis of Long-Term Care for Dementia,” forecasts that the cost and burden of caring for people with dementia will approximately triple […]

Alzheimer’s is a debilitating neurological disease that continues to elude scientists, researchers, and physicians in terms of the cause, how to detect and diagnose it, and how to treat it.  Elli Kaplan, whose grandparents suffered from Alzheimer’s, founded Neurotrack, an early diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s that can detect symptoms 3-4 years before they appear. Neurotrack […]

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has raised concerns about practitioners overprescribing and overusing anti-psychotic medications for seniors with dementia, children with behavioral problems and/or ADHD symptoms, or adults suffering from insomnia. Anti-psychotic medications include drugs traditionally used for conditions such as schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. Recently, they have been more widely used for patients ranging […]

The Long-Term Care (LTC) Commission has issued its full report to Congress this week. The report provides a detailed overview of long-term care servicing and financing issues facing Americans.  With little time and in today’s politically charged environment, the 114-page document provides an in-depth assessment of challenges facing the current U.S. long-term care system and offers a broad array […]

There are few sticker shocks that are as bracing as the price of long-term care. Who knew that hiring someone to help with the simplest activities, such as bathing, toilet use, dressing, eating and moving, could cost so much? Whether recovering from surgery or a stroke or suffering from a debilitating disease such as Parkinson’s, […]

Many people live with their significant other, but for any number of reasons, choose not to get married.  Even though cohabitation may be legal, unmarried cohabitants face unique estate planning challenges regarding incapacity, inheritance, and estate taxation. Estate planning is especially important for people in this situation, if they expect their significant other to inherit […]

As a parent, receiving news about a difficult diagnosis, such as autism or any other special need or disability, can induce feelings of anger, grief, and stress. A thousand questions race through the mind: What does it mean to have a child with special needs? What will the future hold? If something happens to me, who […]

In a recent blog post, we discussed death cafes, which present a comfortable way to talk about death. In this post, we will discuss another type of café, a memory café, which offers a venue for caregivers and people with memory loss to focus on life and memories with loved ones. A memory café is […]

Video games are not just for kids anymore. Seniors have become among the most enthusiastic users of video games and studies show that certain games can strengthen and improve cognitive and physical abilities of seniors as they age.In a recent study, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have found that a driving video […]

Elder Law Evan H. Farr is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA)*.  What does that really mean? The National Elder Law Foundation describes the CELA certification as “the gold standard” for elder law and special needs practitioners. Why?  There are only around 400 CELAs in the country that meet the stringent criteria (see list below), […]

Since the Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Windsor  to strike down Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in June, several federal agencies have revised their policies to bring them in line with the Windsor decision. These are some of the notable changes that bring equality to couples […]

dementia This month marks the second global World Alzheimer’s Month, an international campaign to raise awareness and challenge the stigma associated with Alzheimer’s disease. This year, Alzheimer’s associations across the world will focus their activities on the care required by people with dementia throughout the course of the condition. The theme for World Alzheimer’s Month […]

Agencies tracking Americans older than 65 and baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) agree that scams aimed at seniors are on the rise. However, exact numbers are hard to come by because of underreporting. The few statistics available show seniors are disproportionally affected by financial scams. About 20% of Americans older than 65 — […]

In some assisted living communities, dogs and cats can accompany their owners, and sometimes there are pets in assisted living communities (and in nursing homes) that are owned by the facility and enjoyed by the residents. A growing consensus among assisted living residents and staff alike is that pets bring health, connection, and a sense […]