Nursing homes that give substandard care to residents are the target of new Elder Justice Task Forces intended to move faster in targeting and penalizing certain facilities. The National Review reports in "DOJ Task Forces Target Elder Fraud in Health Care" that teams from several Elder Justice Task Forces deployed…
People think that Medicaid will solve all financial problems if they or a spouse will need expensive medical care late in life. It's not that simple. Concerns about outliving assets or having all their wealth spent on nursing home care has led many Houstonians in different economic brackets to take…
Houston families with an Alzheimer's patient must address the issue of financial planning as well as care and treatment. A number of planning tools should be discussed once a diagnosis has been made. Any family faced with helping a loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease has a…
Much needed changes are underway at the Clark County Nevada Guardianship program, after a local television reporter uncovered major lack of oversight, including families torn apart and financial abuse by the individuals charged with protecting the elderly. According to a follow-up report by KTNV News, "More staff means more oversight…
As with the rest of America, Hawaiians are coping with a growing population of citizens over age 65 diagnosed with Alzheimer's, approximately 25,000 in total. Advocates, including members of a dementia task force under the Executive Office on Aging and members of the local Alzheimer's Association, are focusing on preparing…
Nursing home and other long-term care expenses can be a financial burden for most families. And although long-term care insurance policies can help offset those expenses, LTC premiums are on the rise and can be quite costly. It can take careful planning to determine if LTC premiums can be paid…
As a direct result of complex relationships between Social Security and Medicare and a number of other unforeseen issues, 2016 will be an expensive year for some seniors, according to Forbes' recent article, "Untangling the Medicare Premium Mess — And What It Means For You." Medicare laws require it to…
Do you have a plan for long term care? It can be costly and prohibitive for many families, especially for dementia care. Several key points about long term care are clarified in a recent article from The Arizona Daily Star, “Costs pile up fast for dementia care.” Don’t count on…
The Huffington Post published an interesting article on the ethical and legal issues posed by two related legal practice areas, “Some Legal Issues at the Intersection of Elder Law and Estate Planning.” There are legal and ethical issues that arise when determining courses of action in both areas. One is…
After a long and high profile life of philanthropic endeavors, socialite Brook Astor died in 2007 with an estate worth $200 million. Two years later, her son Anthony Marshall was convicted of stealing millions from her. Astor suffered from dementia, and Marshall was paying himself from her assets. While…