Q. I own a rental property in Springfield, Virginia, that’s just in my name. I heard the best way to protect my assets, should I be subject to a lawsuit, is by creating an LLC for my rental and deeding the house to the LLC. But I also know that your firm offers asset protection […]
Top 16 Articles of 2016
From the presidential candidates’ views on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, to a new president being elected, we covered a lot of ground in 2016. It was a year that included the passing of the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act to help special needs individuals, overtime pay for caregivers being instated and subsequently shut down […]
New Apps for Dementia Patients
Many of us have grandchildren who are preteens. They play sports, enjoy video games and texting, and spend a lot of their time socializing with their friends. Academically, many preteens are discovering STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in school, and schools are trying to hone those skills with extracurricular activities in computers, mathematics, […]
A Parent has Alzheimer’s and a Gun. What Do You Do?
Ever since Gregg Schnepp retired, his favorite activity has been gathering with his friends at the shooting range. According to his wife, Joanne, who is a strong believer in the right to bear arms, “shooting is about his only interest in life.” However, as a 70-year old with both mental and physical decline, it is becoming unsafe for Gregg to carry a gun. Joanne knows she has to talk to her […]
Is it Dementia or Adult ADHD?
Ginny is a 58-year-old widow who struggles each day with where she puts her keys, her cell phone, her purse, and even sometimes her coffee cup after she fills it with coffee. She often has trouble following conversations, and after about 15 minutes, she doesn’t remember much of what was said at all. After observing […]
Alzheimer’s Lost Memories May Be Recoverable
Jennifer was 42 years-old when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. She was heartbroken at first, wondering if she would remember the details of her first love, her child’s wobbly first steps, her overseas travels, or her 20-year career as a pediatric nurse. These things were all significant to the fabric of her life so […]
Enough is Enough! I Quit.
Every day, Rebecca goes to her mother’s house in Oakton, gets her out of bed, gives her breakfast, and dresses her. She spends the day with her, as she is working from her mother’s home. Sometimes, when Rebecca arrives, her mother will greet her with, “Oh, it’s you again.” And, throughout the day, she complains […]
How Do You Tell Loved Ones That You Have Alzheimer’s?
Greg O’Brien and his family (source: onpluto.org) Fifty-nine year old Greg O’Brien lives a healthy and happy life. He exercises every day, makes a good living, and spends lots of quality time with his wife and three children. Five years ago, Greg started to notice changes in himself. He was forgetting things, and his judgment sometimes seemed impaired. Meanwhile, his own mother was dying of Alzheimer’s disease. Greg […]
Be Very Afraid: Our Top Ten Scariest Articles
With Halloween upon us, now is the time when we present you with this year’s scariest & creepiest stories. From posthumous messages from loved ones to Alzheimer’s being contagious, we uncovered some scary ground. To celebrate Halloween, we’ve ranked our scariest articles for you to revisit (if you dare). As always, thank you for reading […]
Is Alzheimer’s Contagious?
There are currently 5.2 million Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s, and the number is expected to triple by 2050. It has long been believed that Alzheimer’s is caused only by age and genetics, but new research says person-to-person transmission of the protein that causes Alzheimer’s may be a possibility. So, does that mean that […]
A Different Type of Funeral
Q.I am the kind of person who likes to plan ahead for everything. I started planning my wedding before I was even engaged, and named my children long before I was pregnant. Now that I am getting older, I am beginning to think about my funeral. I was baptized and raised Catholic, and I married […]
Appliances That Speak to Each Other, and Other Incredible Aging-in-Place Technology
Robear Robot When Carol’s mother, Eleanor, had a stroke a few years back, she and her husband moved in with her. Eleanor was not very steady on her feet, and surfed the furniture to get around. Carol and her husband were always worried about her falling, especially in the bathroom. They became reluctant to leave her alone so, like Eleanor, they too became housebound. Carol and her […]
Alzheimer’s Diagnosis is Rarely Disclosed to Patients
Q. My mother, Lorraine , is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. We think it began ten years ago when she started showing signs, but no one knows for sure. She went to a doctor for physicals every year, and seemed to be in good health, except she had what we thought were “senior moments.” When […]
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 […]
Finding the Right Nursing Home
Carol and Bob invited his mother, Ginny, to spend the holidays with them, as she does every year. This year, her live-in caregiver expressed concern that it was not a good idea because Ginny’s dementia has gotten worse and she may not recognize her own grandchildren. Ginny cannot do much independently anymore and needs help […]
Caution: Our Top 10 SCARIEST Articles
With Halloween upon us, it is time to present you, our dear readers, with this year’s scariest & creepiest stories. From the nightmare of probate to court cases involving filial responsibility, we uncovered some scary ground. To celebrate Halloween, we’ve ranked our scariest articles for you to revisit (if you dare). As always, thank you […]
“Hide” is a Four-Letter Word
Q. I read in USA Today about an 83-year-old man who hid $1.1 million in offshore accounts to avoid paying taxes. I have also read about others who attempt to hide their assets to qualify for Medicaid, as a way to pay for long-term care. Isn’t it wrong and unlawful to hide assets in order […]
Helping Seniors and Veterans from Going Hungry
After working for decades and raising four children without government assistance, Carol found herself asking for help feeding herself and her husband, Richard. Faced with health problems that prevent them from working, Carol and Richard struggle to get by on their monthly Social Security check. And like millions of seniors today, by the time they […]
How to Avoid Losing Massive Amounts of Money to a Nursing Home
When older adults think of estate planning, many actually have asset protection in mind. What they want is the peace of mind of knowing that the nest egg they’ve been saving for that proverbial “rainy day” will actually be available for them when that rainy day comes. The rainy day, for most people, is when […]
Top 3 Advancements to Help Seniors Stay at Home: “No Thank You, Nursing Home”
With the right plan, seniors can qualify for Medicaid, take advantage of today’s latest elder care technologies, and protect the assets which otherwise could be drained by the catastrophic costs of long-term care.