Q. Last summer, you wrote about a veteran named Larry Cook who was a victim of financial exploitation. He was scammed out of millions of dollars in Virginia before he died. Mr. Cook was very careful with his money and would never have allowed himself to be exploited so badly had he been in his […]
Important Client Update About Medicaid Redeterminations
Enacted soon after the beginning of the pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act included a requirement that Medicaid programs in every state, in order to receive enhanced federal funding, keep people on Medicaid who enrolled on or after March 18, 2020, regardless of changes in their circumstances, through the end of the month in […]
Maryland Officially Launches State-Run Retirement Program
Dear Angel, My husband and I live in Maryland and are both still working. We are doing the best we can when it comes to saving for retirement. His work doesn’t have a program in place at this time. I heard something about a new state-run retirement program in Maryland that is starting this month. […]
Maryland Medicaid Waivers Have a Wait-List of 21,000 Names — Is That Ever Going to Change?
Q. My sister, Freda, age 70, resides in Rockville, Maryland, and is physically disabled. Due to her disability, has been cared for in her home by nursing aides 24/7 for the past several years. Luckily, our parents had amassed considerable savings before they died and left money for Freda in a special needs trust which […]
Medicaid-Covered Home Health Care in Maryland — Reality or Illusion?
Q. For years, my Aunt Linda, 80, who lives in Rockville, Maryland, has had trouble walking or standing for long periods and trouble getting in and out of her favorite chair. She also needs help dressing and bathing, and she has frequent incontinence. As her dementia gets worse, she has started to need more assistance […]
Maryland Repealed Filial Responsibility Laws. What’s Going on in Virginia?
—- Q. My mother has had dementia for the past three years. As her condition is getting worse, we’re having trouble caring for her at home. I heard recently that if she goes into a nursing home and she can’t pay, then the nursing home can come after us (her children) for the money. Is […]
Virginia, Maryland, and DC Now Allow Visitors in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
Q. Last month, we had a scare when the nursing home where my mother, Marcia (85), who has dementia, resides called and said that she stopped eating and seems depressed and withdrawn. Although she doesn’t quite know who we are, my mother used to light up when we visited and brought the grandchildren. The nurse […]
Will Getting a REAL ID be a REAL problem for Seniors Who Can’t Make it to the DMV?
Q. My mother is 73, lives in Virginia and doesn’t have any immediate travel plans, but her driver’s license has expired. She is housebound for the most part due to physical ailments and doesn’t drive. I have been hearing a lot about the REAL ID and she and I are confused about it. What do […]
Alexandria, VA becomes Fifth Dementia Friendly Community in Virginia
Every day, Nico Bins goes to his favorite newsstand to buy a newspaper. The owner greets him with a smile as he scrambles for change to pay. They make conversation about the escalating cost of newspapers, and then Nico goes about his day and the shopkeeper hers. From a distance, the transaction seems unremarkable. But, […]
Where Not to Die This Year
Q. I own a home in Bethesda, MD, but was told I should sell it and move to another state. My 96-year old best friend Sheila insists that “it is expensive to die in Maryland” and I’m beginning to think she is right. Sheila lives in DC, and from what I gather, it is expensive […]
The Cost of Long-Term Care is On the Rise
Stanley and June Blum have been married for more than 75 years and are approaching the second century of life. Stanley is 97 and June is 96. Stanley is a retired shoe-industry executive who paints and writes poetry, while June is a psychologist who still works part-time. They own a home in the city and […]
Taxes in the DMV Area For Retirees
Dear Bebe, My husband and I live in our family home in Northern Virginia, and are both recently retired. What state exemptions and deductions are available for retirees? Could you also tell me about Maryland and DC, since we have family and friends in both places. Thanks for your help! Virginia Seenyor —- Dear Virginia, […]
If You Don’t Visit Your Parents, It Could Affect Your Credit Score
Imagine you were really busy with your job, your children, and your everyday life (which is the case for many of us!). Your parents are in their 80’s and, although you love them very much, you rarely get to visit them, let alone call them. Then, you go to buy a car or refinance your […]
Mom Abused Me and is Not Indigent – Why Should I Have to Pay for Her Long-Term Care?
Filial Responsibility (by Michal Dziekan) Image Source: Wall Street Journal Dolly Eori, 90, of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, requires 24-hour care. She lives full-time with her son Joseph and suffers from cancer and Alzheimer’s. She is a widow and the mother of three adult children: Paulette Rush, Joshua Ryan, and Joseph Eori (who has Power of Attorney […]
Hospitals are Required to Train a Family Caregiver Prior to Discharge
Q. My father, Marty, was in a serious car accident last year, where he broke several bones. During the week that followed his discharge from the hospital, my step-mother, Carolyn, struggled as she tried to get dad from the car to his wheelchair, and he ended up falling on his head and having a concussion. […]
When is it Time to Hang Up the Keys?
With years of experience behind the wheel, senior drivers are among the safest on the road. However, skills and abilities required for safe driving — such as vision, memory, physical strength, reaction time, and flexibility — may decline with advanced age, which could make continuing to drive risky. Understandably, driving is not a privilege that […]
Ask the Expert: Can Banks Refuse to Accept a Power of Attorney?
Q. My cousin’s parents executed a Power of Attorney naming her and her sister as co-agents. My aunt is now deceased. My uncle, who has dementia, is owner of an investment portfolio with monthly dividends being automatically reinvested. My cousins wish to have the dividends placed into my uncle’s checking account so that they may […]
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 […]
PBS Releases “Caring for Mom and Dad” Documentary
Graphic from pbs.org. Chris Olson was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and her husband, Brent, has prostate cancer. They lived alone, 300 miles away from their nearest daughter, and needed assistance. Their daughter, Breanna, who was beginning a promising political career, and her sister Shanna, a working mother of two, decided to put their careers on […]
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 […]