Alzheimer’s and nursing home care seem to inevitably go hand in hand. Whether you are facing this diagnosis for yourself or for a family member, there is some legal planning that needs to be done. And if you are single with Alzheimer’s, the time to plan is now.
It’s essential to do the planning early enough in the journey so that nobody will question whether you have the legal capacity to sign important documents. You need to have powers of attorney in place, both for property and healthcare, because you will reach a point in the journey where you will need somebody else to help you to make decisions. You need to be mindful that if you have Alzheimer’s you are at tremendous risk of eventually needing to spend time in a nursing home. Planning early in your diagnosis will bring a more successful result in protecting your life savings from long-term care costs.
In this Elder Law Minute, Wes Coulson, Southern Illinois Elder Law attorney, presents another topic covered in The Alzheimer’s Guide: Practical Advice for Families, Caregivers and Professionals and discusses Alzheimer’s and nursing home care and the need for single people to engage in some very particular legal planning that’s going to be of great importance to them as they go through this journey.
Alzheimer’s and Nursing Home Care: If You’re Single, You’re Ready To Plan
Transcript:
Hi, I’m Wes Coulson and this is your Elder Law Minute. This is another in our series of videos covering topics that are also covered in our Alzheimer’s Guide that you see me holding up. I invite you to get a copy from us. They are free and if you are going through the Alzheimer’s journey, either personally or with a family member, I think there is a lot in there that you’ll find to be very helpful.
What I want to talk to now is about the need for single people with Alzheimer’s to engage in some very particular legal planning that’s going to be of great importance to them as they go through this journey.
First, it’s essential to do the planning early enough in the journey that nobody will question whether you have the legal capacity to sign important documents. So, you need to be a little bit ahead of it.
Documents that you need – you need to have powers of attorney in place, both for property and healthcare because you will reach a point in the journey where you will need somebody else to help you to make decisions. And those need not to be just canned documents, they need to be very personalized documents. This is enabling somebody to speak for you, they’re going to be your voice, and you want to be very careful and give a lot of thought to how they’re going to be your voice.
Another thing that needs to be done is that you need to be mindful that if you have Alzheimer’s you are at tremendous risk of eventually needing to spend time in a nursing home. Nursing home care is really expensive, it can cost you your life savings. People who wait until the end to plan, we can still help. But, our ability to help successfully is much greater if the planning is done early on in the process. So, that’s something that can be done with care and with very successful results. Thanks.
For more topics from The Alzheimer’s Guide, visit these articles:
- Can Someone Diagnosed With Alzheimer’s Still Execute Legal Documents?
- Alzheimer’s and Powers of Attorney for Property: Why the document’s specific language matters so much
- Alzheimer’s and the Five-Year Look-Back Period: The time to plan is NOW!
“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 or (314)567-9292 or Contact Us and we will get in touch as soon as possible.
