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 […]
How Can The ABLE Act Help My Special Needs Daughter?
Dear Baxter, My daughter has intellectual disabilities. I read in one of your newsletters that Virginia was the first state to enact the ABLE Act. I don’t know much about it, but it may be something that can help my daughter with her education expenses, without jeopardizing her benefits. Can you explain more? Also, who […]
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 […]
Virginia Becomes First State to Approve ABLE Act
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Signs ABLE Act into Law (Source: NBC 29) Q. Our son, Jeff, has autism spectrum disorder and will likely need assistance throughout his lifetime. We are looking for ways to save for his future without jeopardizing his eligibility for Social Security and other government programs. I read about the ABLE act, and how […]
Virginia’s New Privacy Expectation Afterlife and Choices Act Protects Digital Assets
Picture from Huffington Post. Kathleen’s sister, Marie, was very tech savvy and enjoyed all that social media has to offer. She tweeted every day about books she was reading and news stories of interest, posted quilting pictures and photos of her grandchildren on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, and kept up with friends and former colleagues […]
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 […]
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 […]
What Happens to Your Online Data After You Are Gone?
Q. Our next door neighbor, Joseph, was shoveling snow when he collapsed and died of sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 53. Grief-stricken and shocked, his wife, Jane, not only had to plan a funeral; she also faced the daunting task of figuring out the couple’s online financial life. Unfortunately, she only knew half of […]
Top 14 Articles of 2014
From non-traditional living options to stricter driving laws in Virginia, we covered a lot of ground in 2014. It was a year that included a new act to help special needs families, enhancements to the Medicaid program, and amazing new technological innovations to help seniors age-in-place. At the Farr Law Firm, we expanded from Fairfax to new locations […]
Caregiving Across the Miles
Q. I live in Northern Virginia, 700 miles away from my parents, who are in Florida. My father has Parkinson’s and insists on staying in our family home. His mobility has diminished, and I worry about him falling nearly every day. I cannot move closer because of my husband’s government job and my job, and the quality of […]
LGBTQ Marriage Ruling Brings New Planning Choices
LGBTQ married couples can now celebrate another important victory in their fight for equal rights. Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled to let the appeals court rulings allowing same-sex marriage in five states stand, clearing the way for same-sex marriages in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. Now, same-sex couples can marry in 24 states, along […]
Evan Farr is Named to the 2015 Best Lawyers List
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Evan Farr, Principal Attorney at Farr Law Firm, P.C. is Selected for Inclusion in 2015 Best Lawyers in America and 2015 Washington D.C.’s Best Lawyers Fairfax, VA – August 18, 2014 – Certified Elder Law Attorney Evan H. Farr of Farr Law Firm, P.C. (https://www.farrlawfirm.com), has been selected by his peers for […]