Q. My parents are in their 70’s and I am a caregiver for them, while working part-time and raising a family. My father has had Parkinson’s for fifteen years and is no longer mobile. My mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. As much as I love them dearly, it is becoming a real […]
If You’re A Caregiver. . . A Proper Contract is a MUST!
E.A. lived with her daughter, B.C., who was her caregiver from 2004 until 2012. They entered into a care agreement, in which E.A. was to make regular monthly payments to her daughter in exchange for room, board, and caregiving. The rate paid to B.C. was based on the cost of a licensed and bonded home […]
Highlights from the White House Conference on Aging
Photo from Whitehouse.gov This past Monday, on the cusp of the 50th anniversary of the creation of Medicare and Medicaid and the 80th anniversary of Social Security, the once-a-decade White House Conference on Aging was held. During the conference, 200 advocates, health care workers, and government officials discussed caring for seniors, addressing topics such as […]
What Type of Baby Boomer are You?
Baby boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, make up nearly 30% of the U.S. population. With this group reaching retirement age, new concerns are emerging when it comes to planning for retirement and long-term care. Recently, 3,300 respondents participated in a landmark study, “Health and Retirement: Planning for the Great Unknown,” conducted by […]
Have a Piece of Cake. . .
It’s Medicaid’s 50th Birthday! Q. My son, Sam, turns 50 this year. Besides his birth, I know that something else significant happened in 1965 — President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicaid into law. I know you help people apply for Medicaid to protect their hard-earned assets from the catastrophic costs of long-term care, so I thought you […]
Can Family Caregivers Get Compensated?
Q. My father, Jack, is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and has limited mobility due to other ailments. He currently lives alone at home and needs a lot of assistance. He has been a great dad, always putting my needs before his own. Now, I am doing the same for him. I recently got […]
How to Choose Trustees for a Special Needs Trust
Mark is an autistic adult who resides in a Medicaid-funded residential program in upstate New York. Before his parents passed away, his mother established a Special Needs Trust for him, which held in excess of $2 million, with the two co-trustees being an attorney and a well-known trust company. As a result of the trust, […]
Landmark Supreme Court Marriage Case May Affect Planning Choices
Image from USNews.com Gay marriage is currently legal in 36 states, mostly because of the decision in the 2013 case of Windsor v. United States, in which the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Two years later, the issue is back in the Supreme Court. And, by the end of this […]
Informal Home Care Could Result in Medicaid Ineligibility
Betty Jensen was an elderly woman with dementia, who resided in her home in Muskegon, Michigan. In May 2011, when she needed assistance, her concerned grandson, Jason, acted on her behalf and hired a non-relative, Teresa Alexander, to serve as her Caregiver. Hiring a Caregiver When hiring the Caregiver, Jason entered into an informal agreement […]
Seniors Should Consider Cruise Ships Rather than Nursing Homes
About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed a senior lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that all the staff, ships officers, waiters, busboys, etc., all seemed […]
New Case Showing Why Domestic Asset Protection Trusts (DAPTs) Don’t Work!
Dr. Charles Dahl and his wife Kim were married for eighteen years. In 2002, Charles executed a trust entitled “The Dahl Family Irrevocable Trust” that named Charles as Settlor, his brother Robert as Investment Trustee, and Nevada State Bank as Qualified Person Trustee. The trust also named Nevada as the domicile (the state where the […]
Non-Borrowing Spouses Can Still Face Eviction Due to Previous Reverse Mortgage Rules
Amy (59) and her husband, Frank (66), decided to get a reverse mortgage, sometimes known as an HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage), last summer to supplement Fred’s Social Security. Amy was left off the reverse mortgage, due to her age. Later, she and her husband read about how a change has been made to the rules […]
Did I Read That Right? Rates for Long-Term Care Insurance Rose 9% This Year!
Q. My wife and I like to plan ahead. Unfortunately, both of her parents and three of her aunts died of Alzheimer’s, and we want to make sure we are prepared should one of us need long-term care in the future. We are aware of the astronomical costs of long-term care and are considering LTC […]
Government Raises the Bar on Nursing Home Ratings
Q. My father has dementia and will need skilled nursing care in the near future. There are so many nursing homes in this area to consider, and I have heard differing opinions from friends and family. How can we really know which one is best, and how can we afford it? A. When seniors and […]
Can Someone Recover from Autism?
When Tyler was one, his parents began to notice certain behaviors that seemed atypical. He didn’t make eye contact or wave hello or goodbye, and he often seemed to be in his own world. As a toddler, he began lining up his toys, having tantrums, and walking on his toes. When he was a bit […]
Help Someone Else and You Might Go to Jail
Ray is a loving father and a good friend who enjoys helping others. He helped his son build a deck, assisted his friend in finding a home, and even does his daughter’s taxes on Turbo Tax each year. However, when it comes to estate planning, incapacity planning, and/or Medicaid planning, Ray realized he could not […]
Want Free Long-Term Care? Try Medicare Part G.
Q. Nursing homes are so exorbitantly expensive. There is no way I can afford long-term care for myself, when the time comes, or for my husband, Morty. Is there any way to qualify for free long-term care in this country? A friend told me there’s a Medicare Part G that pays for free long-term care, […]
How Nursing Homes are Collecting Debts- More Reason to Plan Ahead
Lillian Palermo, a 90-year old retired insurance executive, entered a nursing home after she began experiencing dementia, falls, and surgical complications. Her husband, Dino, who is eight years her junior, visits her every day. He sings her favorite songs, feeds her home-cooked Italian food, and pays a private aide to be there when he cannot. […]
Ask the Expert: Forgetfulness: When to Call a Doctor
Q. My mother, Meg, has not been herself lately. Last week, when going to the neighborhood post office, she got completely disoriented and lost. She asks the same questions over and over again and often repeats stories. She even forgot the ingredients for dad’s favorite soup last week, which she has been cooking for 40 […]
Common Estate Planning Mistakes Baby Boomers Should Avoid
Baby boomers, or those born between 1946 and 1964, are starting to retire in droves. For these people (and everyone else), it is important to create an estate plan to help protect assets and ensure that wishes are met in the event of death or incapacity. In doing so, it is critical to avoid mistakes […]
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