We received two similar questions this week and will address them both. Q1. My aunt opened a savings account at her local bank for her son (my cousin) in the late 1980’s when my cousin was in college. When she opened the account for him, the bank representative, trying to be helpful, suggested that the […]
A Screening Tool Exists that Accurately Predicts End-of-Life
Q. I read somewhere that there is a screening tool that was developed to more accurately predict someone’s risk of dying based on different factors. Do you know more about this or other screening tools that are out there and how they work? Is this too much information, or can people use this information to […]
Misinformation about Medicaid in Popular Media and Journalists Getting Legal Information from Non-Lawyers
Medicaid turns 59 in July 2024! In the summer of 1965, President Johnson addressed a joint session of Congress asking that we honor a basic commitment to our seniors. He asked that the later years of their lives not be filled with “despondency and drift, or fear of financial hardship in the event of illness,” […]
Prescribing Art: Can Art Be Used to Treat Conditions Affecting Seniors?
Two years ago, I wrote a three-part series that shared the wisdom of Katya De Luisa, a dementia educator and author of “Journey through the Infinite Mind–the Science and Spirituality of Dementia.” Besides being a dementia educator, caregiver coach, and author, Katya De Luisa is an art therapist. She describes art as “a window into […]
Are You a Super-Ager?
Are you someone in your 80s or older whose memory recall seems to be as good or even better than people decades younger than you? If you are, you’re in a relatively rare category of people known as “super-agers” — people who can easily recall things from many years ago with exceptional clarity along with […]
Comparing a Certified Medicaid Planner with a Certified Elder Law Attorney
Q. My sister-in-law and my husband have recently been discussing Medicaid Planning for my husband’s mother, who is in an early stage of dementia. You and your law firm represented my parents several years ago when we needed to protect their assets and get my mom on Medicaid. Thank you again for that! My siblings […]
Can Alzheimer’s Symptoms Be Reversed? Sanjay Gupta Explains in Newest Documentary
Dear Angel, I recently read about “The Last Alzheimer’s Patient,” starring Dr. Sanjay Gupta. The documentary describes Alzheimer’s patient Cici Zerbe, who claims that her early Alzheimer’s symptoms have been reversed. This was after she participated in Dr. Dean Ornish’s clinical trial on how intensive lifestyle changes can halt the progression of early Alzheimer’s. Do […]
What Are the Top Eight Questions to Ask a Medicaid Asset Protection Attorney?
May is National Elder Law Month! Elder Law Attorneys across the country, including those at the Farr Law Firm, are taking the opportunity to educate seniors about their legal options in the communities we serve. Now is the perfect time to talk about one of our practice areas: Medicaid Asset Protection, also known as Medicaid […]
Is Alzheimer’s Disease Genetic?
Years of research has found that the most common gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease is a risk gene called apolipoprotein E (APOE). Recent research built upon what was already known about APOE, finding that people with two copies of the gene variant APOE4 are almost certain to get Alzheimer’s. This new information could result in […]
How Estate Planning Helps You and Your Caregiver
Dear Angel, I have Parkinson’s and need lots of care, and I know things are just going to get tougher. My sister is my caregiver who helps me full-time. I heard that getting my estate planning and long-term care planning in order will not only help me but will help her, as my caregiver. If […]
How Knowledgeable and Prepared Are Americans for Long-Term Care? An AARP Survey Explains
In the ’80s or even the ’90s, if someone asked a person about long-term care, often they would respond that they don’t need help with lawn care. You read that right: lawn care. This is because the term “long-term care” was not yet in most people’s vocabulary. Today most people are aware of long-term care, […]
Two New Provisions Make Reverse Mortgages More Desirable
Q. My husband, Bob, and I have lived in Northern Virginia for nearly fifty years and we have no plans of moving. We are original owners of our home and our mortgage has been paid off for nearly two decades now. Our children all live within a mile of our home, so we are hoping […]
Does my Life Estate Qualify for Real Estate Tax Relief? Links for all County and City Tax Relief Applications.
Q. My mom has owned her home for over 20 years. Last year she came to your firm and did an irrevocable Medicaid Asset Protection Trust. Your firm deeded her house into the trust but had her keep a life estate in the house. She now wants to apply for real estate tax relief, which […]
Is There a New Genetic Form of Dementia?
Q. I read your recent newsletter from this past Tuesday about this year’s scariest articles, and I think I have a topic to add. I heard that there is another new form of dementia that was just discovered that affects behavior, language, and executive functioning. Sounds pretty scary to me. Have you heard about it, […]
$1,000,000 Reward for Anyone Who Finds the ‘Germ’ that Causes Alzheimer’s
Currently, more than 44 million people around the world are suffering from Alzheimer’s. Each day, 303 people die of the disease and each year, we lose 110,000 people to the progressive, neurological disease. Yet the cause is unknown, there is no cure, and there are no proven ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. Decades of research and […]
Why Medicaid Planning Is 100 Percent Ethical
Q. My close friend, Paula, invited me to lunch the other day. We got to talking, and I asked her about her father who she told me was in a nursing home. She asked about my parents, and I explained how my mother’s dementia is getting worse, and we are exploring nursing home care for […]
Are VA Nursing Homes Free for Veterans?
Q. My father is a Vietnam Veteran who will almost certainly need nursing home care in the future. Will the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) nursing home system take care of him for free? Are VA nursing homes as good as private ones? Are there many VA nursing homes in the DC Metro area? And […]
You Don’t Smile Anymore . . . What’s Wrong?
Gerald has plenty of reasons to be pleased with his life. He had a career as a successful business owner, and now he enjoys a comfortable retirement with his wife, Mary. He has four grandchildren with whom he spends as much time as possible. And yet Gerald wears a constant expression that others might interpret […]
Six Myths About Falls
Q. I recently visited my parents, who are in their 70’s, and have been worried ever since. My father, Sam, fell three times during the two days I was there. Often, my mother, Elaine, has lunch out and quilts with her friends, leaving dad home by himself. I questioned my mother about it and she said that falls are a […]