Charles Ross, Sr. died earlier this month. He had lived in Chesterfield for many years, but spent his last four and a half years in Massachusetts with his son after doctors told Chuck Jr. that his dad was no longer able to live on his own.
Chuck Jr. chronicled this on a blog, Life With Father, in which he honestly and touchingly hashes out both the emotional and logistical complications of loving and caring for an aging parent.
Showing posts with label Elder Law. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elder Law. Show all posts
Friday, October 26, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Long-Term Care Insurance - Is It Worth It?
NPR did a story this week on long-term care insurance. The reporter asks, but failed to answer, many important questions:
-- Will you need the insurance?
-- Can you afford the premiums?
-- Can you afford not to have the coverage?
-- If you get the insurance, will they pay on claims when you need them to?
-- If they don't pay (and you don't happen to live in Oregon), what is your recourse?
Oregon recently implemented an appeals procedure to review denied claims, which saves elderly citizens from having to wade through the complicated policy documents and court procedures to secure payment. Oregon, though, tends to be fairly progressive on these types of social issues.
Will other states follow? Time will tell.
-- Will you need the insurance?
-- Can you afford the premiums?
-- Can you afford not to have the coverage?
-- If you get the insurance, will they pay on claims when you need them to?
-- If they don't pay (and you don't happen to live in Oregon), what is your recourse?
Oregon recently implemented an appeals procedure to review denied claims, which saves elderly citizens from having to wade through the complicated policy documents and court procedures to secure payment. Oregon, though, tends to be fairly progressive on these types of social issues.
Will other states follow? Time will tell.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
More on Alzheimer's
The New York Times reported today on a clinical trial of experimental drug called Crenezumab that could delay the appearance of symptoms in a family in Colombia with a genetic history or early-onset Alzheimer's Disease.
The drug is currently in two trials, but both of them involve people who are already showing symptoms. The Colombian trial will involve family members who have (and don't have, for control's sake) the gene in question.
There are still a lot of questions and much remains to be seen, but this is promising research!
The drug is currently in two trials, but both of them involve people who are already showing symptoms. The Colombian trial will involve family members who have (and don't have, for control's sake) the gene in question.
There are still a lot of questions and much remains to be seen, but this is promising research!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Alzheimer's Research
Time, the Scientific American, and other sources reported recently on a study which found that certain lifestyle habits can hasten memory loss and the slide many elderly individuals take towards Alzheimer's. Risk factors included overeating and not getting enough good sleep each night.
Do what you can to help yourself out - eat right and create as serene of an environment in your bedroom as possible!
Do what you can to help yourself out - eat right and create as serene of an environment in your bedroom as possible!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Sandwich Generation
NPR recently started a series called Family Matters, in which they focus on the financial pressures faced by the "sandwich generation," baby boomers who are finding themselves caring both for their aging "greatest generation" parents as well as their "boomerang generation" children.
The series' focus is on the financial situations of the profiled families, but an intertwined subject is the cost of caring for an aging parent. And related still are the emotional and psychological stresses that having a parent in your home causes, as well as the benefits it can bring.
It should be a great series and I encourage you to follow it.
The series' focus is on the financial situations of the profiled families, but an intertwined subject is the cost of caring for an aging parent. And related still are the emotional and psychological stresses that having a parent in your home causes, as well as the benefits it can bring.
It should be a great series and I encourage you to follow it.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Series: The Law In Our Lives
Advanced Planning -- The Emotional Toll
In my last post, I discussed the importance of advanced healthcare planning. It can be as simple as preparing an advanced directive or health care power of attorney. In this document, you declare your intentions regarding various health care decisions, such as whether you would want artificial nutrition and hydration to prolong your life in the hospital. (Financial planning is important too! It can be as simple as adding a beneficiary's name to your house, bank accounts, and retirement plans to avoid probate, writing a living trust, and having a simple will.)
Meeting with a lawyer and getting a signature of an elderly parent in a hospital, nursing home, or even in their own home can be stressful; I advise that you be prepared. After all, we'll all be there some day and it gives peace of mind to know that you have taken the decision-making burden off your family. That sounds logical, right?
My parents did all those things. They made their own decisions. They took the burden off us kids. But I was still not prepared for the emotions attached to producing their documents for actual use by medical staff. Sure, I had prepared their health care directives myself and felt sure that the documents reflected my parents' wishes. But the act of handing that paper over to a health care provider made the situation real. At the time we wrote them, it was easy to say that my parents didn't want "heroic measures" taken to keep them alive, but it was another matter to realize that those same "heroic measures" they didn't want would be the same ones that would keep them here with us a little longer.
Now, as I watch my father being placed on hospice, I am struggling with these decisions. The hospice worker reviewed the documents I prepared and reminded us that if a time comes when my dad needs heroic measures (including something as simple as CPR), we cannot call 911. We must follow his wishes and allow him to die peacefully.
I know I am not as level-headed and detached now as I was when I assisted my parents with their estate planning; I am grateful that we took care of this ahead of time.
As you begin your estate planning, it is important that you be able to think clearly and rationally, which is much more difficult when surgery, hospitalization, nursing home care, or death is imminent. It is also less frightening.
Frequently our clients admit that they have put off their estate planning because it scared them to face the idea of their own deaths, but most express a feeling of relief when they sign their papers - wills, deeds, trusts, and powers of attorney. They know that their wishes will be honored and their loved ones won't have to worry. It's all about peace of mind.
In my last post, I discussed the importance of advanced healthcare planning. It can be as simple as preparing an advanced directive or health care power of attorney. In this document, you declare your intentions regarding various health care decisions, such as whether you would want artificial nutrition and hydration to prolong your life in the hospital. (Financial planning is important too! It can be as simple as adding a beneficiary's name to your house, bank accounts, and retirement plans to avoid probate, writing a living trust, and having a simple will.)
Meeting with a lawyer and getting a signature of an elderly parent in a hospital, nursing home, or even in their own home can be stressful; I advise that you be prepared. After all, we'll all be there some day and it gives peace of mind to know that you have taken the decision-making burden off your family. That sounds logical, right?
My parents did all those things. They made their own decisions. They took the burden off us kids. But I was still not prepared for the emotions attached to producing their documents for actual use by medical staff. Sure, I had prepared their health care directives myself and felt sure that the documents reflected my parents' wishes. But the act of handing that paper over to a health care provider made the situation real. At the time we wrote them, it was easy to say that my parents didn't want "heroic measures" taken to keep them alive, but it was another matter to realize that those same "heroic measures" they didn't want would be the same ones that would keep them here with us a little longer.
Now, as I watch my father being placed on hospice, I am struggling with these decisions. The hospice worker reviewed the documents I prepared and reminded us that if a time comes when my dad needs heroic measures (including something as simple as CPR), we cannot call 911. We must follow his wishes and allow him to die peacefully.
I know I am not as level-headed and detached now as I was when I assisted my parents with their estate planning; I am grateful that we took care of this ahead of time.
As you begin your estate planning, it is important that you be able to think clearly and rationally, which is much more difficult when surgery, hospitalization, nursing home care, or death is imminent. It is also less frightening.
Frequently our clients admit that they have put off their estate planning because it scared them to face the idea of their own deaths, but most express a feeling of relief when they sign their papers - wills, deeds, trusts, and powers of attorney. They know that their wishes will be honored and their loved ones won't have to worry. It's all about peace of mind.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Series: The Law In Our Lives
Advanced Planning -- Be Prepared!
For twenty years I have offered legal advice to clients regarding the importance of writing a simple will, a health care directive, and a durable power of attorney before a crisis arises. It wasn't until my own parents began experiencing health problems that I realized the true wisdom of my own words.
Both of my parents were hospitalized several times during the last few years. Each time, they were asked whether they had an "advanced directive." Luckily, I had assisted them with this many years ago. After discussing their wishes regarding distribution of their property, nursing home care, and life-prolonging measures such as artificial nutrition and hydration, I designed a straightforward estate plan including the following:
Like many of my clients, my parents were crystal clear about their feelings regarding these issues and were wise enough to express those feelings in a legal document. These pieces of paper may seem insignificant, but they constitute the "clear and convincing evidence" of my parents' intent that the courts require in order for their wishes to be carried out.
Each time they were asked to do so, my parents obediently (and rather proudly) produced their original health care directives for copying. We always put them back in their refrigerator drawer for safekeeping afterwards. (In case of a fire, the papers will probably survive. Safe deposit boxes and fire-proof safes work great if you have one, but if not a fridge is a good alternative. I recommended a safe deposit box to my parents, but it's actually easier to get at the papers if you just reach behind the lettuce!)
Nearly everyone I have talked to feels strongly about whether they would want treatment which might prolong the dying process. Many are adamant that they do not want to be kept alive on a ventilator or with artificially-supplied food and water. However, most clients also admit that they have not taken the crucial next step -- putting their wishes in writing. I cannot count the number of times a client has dashed into our office requesting that we prepare a legal document immediately, because they (or a parent, grandparent, aunt, etc.) is having surgery, going into a nursing home, or dying. The added stress this causes is evident on their faces.
My advice is that you do not put yourself or your family members in that position. Instead, take the time to sit down and think about what you want without the pressure. Then speak to an attorney who will advise you of the best way to accomplish your goal. We, like many attorneys, would be happy to discuss the procedure and costs.
For twenty years I have offered legal advice to clients regarding the importance of writing a simple will, a health care directive, and a durable power of attorney before a crisis arises. It wasn't until my own parents began experiencing health problems that I realized the true wisdom of my own words.
Both of my parents were hospitalized several times during the last few years. Each time, they were asked whether they had an "advanced directive." Luckily, I had assisted them with this many years ago. After discussing their wishes regarding distribution of their property, nursing home care, and life-prolonging measures such as artificial nutrition and hydration, I designed a straightforward estate plan including the following:
- Living Wills (Powers of Attorney for Health Care)
- Simple Wills
- Durable Powers of Attorney
- Beneficiary Deed
Like many of my clients, my parents were crystal clear about their feelings regarding these issues and were wise enough to express those feelings in a legal document. These pieces of paper may seem insignificant, but they constitute the "clear and convincing evidence" of my parents' intent that the courts require in order for their wishes to be carried out.
Each time they were asked to do so, my parents obediently (and rather proudly) produced their original health care directives for copying. We always put them back in their refrigerator drawer for safekeeping afterwards. (In case of a fire, the papers will probably survive. Safe deposit boxes and fire-proof safes work great if you have one, but if not a fridge is a good alternative. I recommended a safe deposit box to my parents, but it's actually easier to get at the papers if you just reach behind the lettuce!)
Nearly everyone I have talked to feels strongly about whether they would want treatment which might prolong the dying process. Many are adamant that they do not want to be kept alive on a ventilator or with artificially-supplied food and water. However, most clients also admit that they have not taken the crucial next step -- putting their wishes in writing. I cannot count the number of times a client has dashed into our office requesting that we prepare a legal document immediately, because they (or a parent, grandparent, aunt, etc.) is having surgery, going into a nursing home, or dying. The added stress this causes is evident on their faces.
My advice is that you do not put yourself or your family members in that position. Instead, take the time to sit down and think about what you want without the pressure. Then speak to an attorney who will advise you of the best way to accomplish your goal. We, like many attorneys, would be happy to discuss the procedure and costs.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Alzheimer's on the CBS Evening News
There was recently a story on the CBS Evening News discussing the detection, presentation, and delayed onset of Alzheimer's Disease. There is text as well as a link to the news program.
As the baby boomers inch towards old age, the prevalence of Alzheimer's - and the care of patients who have it - becomes an ever-more-important issue in our society.
As the baby boomers inch towards old age, the prevalence of Alzheimer's - and the care of patients who have it - becomes an ever-more-important issue in our society.
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