We are available to meet with clients in Shelbyville & Urbana-Champaign, IL by appointment.

Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney | Dent Coulson Elder Law

Get Help Right Away

Call Today: 618-632-7000 or 217-330-5500

  • Home
  • Our Services
    • Alzheimer’s Planning
    • Asset Preservation Planning
    • Estate Planning
    • Medicaid Eligibility
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust and Estate Administration
    • VA Benefits Planning
  • News & Videos
    • Video Series
      • Coronavirus Preparedness
      • Asset Preservation Planning
      • Common Estate Planning Mistakes
      • Dealing With Alzheimer’s
      • Financial Exploitation of Elders
      • Handling Difficult Conversations with Seniors
      • Married Couples and Medicaid
      • Medicaid Application Process
      • Medicaid Look-Back Rule and Transfer Penalties
      • Nursing Home Admission and Care
      • Veterans Pension Benefits
      • What You Can and Can’t Keep with Medicaid
    • Weekly Newsletter
    • The Elder Law Minute
  • Presentations
    • Health Care Power of Attorney
  • Hear From Our Clients
    • Testimonials
    • Share Your Experience
  • About
    • About Us
    • Meet Our Team
    • Partners & Resources
    • About Our Fees
    • COVID-19 Policies
    • Privacy Policy
  • DCEL Blog
  • Contact
    • Find Our Offices
    • Refer a Friend

Estate Plan Review in Illinois: When Should You Update?

In this Elder Law Minute, Kaye DeSelms Dent explains why families should request a paper nursing home contract, avoid signing electronically, and have admission agreements reviewed by an elder law attorney before signing.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Steven Milburn and I’m a senior associate attorney here at Dent Coulson Elder Law. These Elderlaw minutes are intended to provide you with a framework to address any questions that you may have in your estate planning journey. Thank you.

Why You Should Review Your Estate Plan

If you already have an estate plan in place, that’s great. Uh but as we know over time all of our lives change. People in our lives change. they may pass away or they may become disabled or we may no longer be close to them.

Reviewing the People You’ve Selected

And so we want to reassess our estate plan periodically to determine if the people we’ve selected are still the people we want to be in charge of our decisions.

Reviewing Your Beneficiaries

The same goes for our beneficiaries. Maybe we need to add or remove beneficiaries in the future.

Considering New Assets

We also want to be aware of new assets uh that we may need to take different action for.

How Often Should You Review Your Estate Plan?

So, we suggest that you review your estate plans periodically, every 5 years or so, to assess those changes in your life and circumstances and determine if there’s any action you need to take to update and change those plans.

Closing

We’re happy to help you here at Dent Coulson Elder Law uh to update your estate plan uh whenever you need to.

Also looking for information about Medicaid and Asset Preservation? Visit these articles:

    • Do Living Trusts Protect Assets From Medicaid or VA Spend Down?
    • How an Asset Preservation Trust Protects Your Life Savings From Long-Term Care Costs
    • Why Do I Need an Asset Preservation Plan?

“Your Trusted Advisor on the Elder Care Journey”

Dent-Coulson Elder Law is dedicated to providing families in the St. Louis area with their Elder Law needs. Our practice areas include Asset Preservation Planning, Veterans Benefits, Medicaid Eligibility, Alzheimer’s Planning, Special Needs Planning, Estate Planning and more. We understand the financial challenges you may face as you and your loved ones grow older. At Dent-Coulson Elder Law, our clients’ well-being is our number one priority. For immediate help, call (618) 632-7000 (IL) or (314) 567-9292 (MO), or Contact Us and we will get in touch as soon as possible.

Veterans Benefits O'Fallon ILFor Immediate Help

If you or a loved one needs immediate help with a planning matter or legal issue, please call us today:

774 Sunset Blvd Suite 200
O'Fallon, IL 62269
IL: (618) 632-7000
MO: (314) 567-9292

1901 South Fourth Street,
Suite 211, Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 330-5500

Fax: (618) 632-7333

Office Hours
Monday - Thursday
8:30 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Friday
8:30 am - 12:00 pm

We are available to meet with clients in Shelbyville & Urbana-Champaign, IL by appointment.

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Book A Speaker

 

Free WorkshopsIf you have reached age 65, there's about a 45% chance that you will eventually need long-term care.

Our attorneys are available to speak to professional and social groups on a variety of elder law and estate planning topics without charge.

To book a speaker, please call our offices and ask for Karie Wines.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our free weekly Newsletter and receive the latest news, updates and videos straight to your inbox!

Recent Posts

  • Estate Plan Review in Illinois: When Should You Update?
  • Nursing Home Contract Review in Illinois
  • Why Powers of Attorney in Illinois Are So Important
  • Limited Guardianship in Illinois: What Families Should Know
  • Estate Planning Process in Illinois: What to Expect

More News & Videos

  • Alzheimer's Planning (85)
  • Asset Preservation Planning (150)
  • Coronavirus Preparedness Series (9)
  • Coulson Elder Law (11)
  • DCEL Blog (1)
  • Document Signing (15)
  • Elder Law Minute Video (469)
  • Estate Planning (216)
  • Health Care Planning/Medicare (148)
  • Medicaid Eligibility (210)
  • News & Videos (514)
  • Special Needs Planning (48)
  • Trust Administration (14)
  • Veterans Benefits (51)
Directions to our office locations
  • About Us
  • News and Videos
  • Weekly Newsletter
  • Brochures
  • Presentations
  • Hear From Our Clients
  • Partners & Resources
  • Legal Disclaimer

Copyright © 2026 · Wesley J. Coulson | Dent Coulson Elder Law, LLC