We are available to meet with clients in Champaign-Urbana area by appointment.
Contact Us

Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney | Dent Coulson Elder Law

Get Help Right Away

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

or Send us an email

  • 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
  • Alzheimer’s Guide
  • 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
  • Contact
    • Email Us
    • Find Our Offices
    • Refer a Friend
  • DCEL Blog

COVID-19: Keeping Safe and Being Prepared

I hope this finds you safe and well, and that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is now behind us.

Because we serve older populations, we are especially concerned about protecting our clients, friends and ourselves from the risk of contracting and COVID-19. We want to do all we reasonably can to be safe, while continuing to be available to meet the needs of our current and future clients, and without imposing undue burdens. We want our approach to remain flexible, consistent with a changing situation and updated guidance that reflects new developments.

One important development is that all members of our staff are now “fully vaccinated,” including the booster shot for those eligible for it. We believe that is also by now the case with many of our clients and family members who come to our offices. Accordingly, effective May 17, 2021, if upon coming to our offices, you voluntarily inform us (HIPAA regulations preclude us from requiring disclosure of medical information) that you and each other person who would attend a meeting with you have been fully vaccinated, and that you would prefer not to wear a mask during a meeting with us, we will honor that request. Otherwise, we will, at least for now, continue to require masks, and will happily provide one if you or anyone in your group doesn’t have one along.

Meanwhile, we will continue to utilize available technologies that can significantly limit the need for in-person interactions. Two familiar technologies that are very helpful in that regard: cell phones and email. Those will certainly help a great deal. What’s more, we can enhance their effectiveness by utilizing the technologies I’ll describe below.

Employees of Dent-Coulson Elder Law posing wearing masks

We will be happy to meet with you by Zoom video conference, if you have access to any device equipped with a webcam and a microphone, such as a PC, laptop, notebook, or even your cell phone. Zoom has the capability of including numerous people in a meeting, and anyone in the meeting can put documents up on screen for other meeting participants to see. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with Zoom. It’s surprisingly easy, and we’ll walk you through it if you’re a “newbie.”

In the case of in-person meetings, we will try to reasonably limit their frequency and duration, and adhere as much as reasonably possible to “social distancing” standards. That applies particularly to document signings. Our documents are now set up so that the client signs on one page and the notary and/or witnesses sign on separate pages, so that documents don’t need to be passed back and forth for signing. As it turns out, that also saves time.

In the case of phone calls (and Zoom video meetings), with a little advance planning we can easily arrange it so that more than two people can participate, even if we’re all at separate locations. We’re able to coordinate that here. You’ll just need to let us know (or we’ll let you know) who all should be on a particular call or Zoom meeting.

In the case of your getting documents to us that include information we need in handling your legal matter, several options are available.

First, as my tech-savvy son let me know, almost everyone who has a cell phone now has the ability to scan in documents and transmit them to us electronically. There is a free app available through Apple’s App Store and Google Play (where you download apps for other types of phones) called Genius Scan. Basically, you just point your phone at whatever you want to scan, take a picture of it with your phone, then it’s ready to transmit. Of course, if you or a family member has a scanner, that’s even better. For those of you who will be downloading and using the Genius Scan app, here’s a link to a helpful video tutorial.

Second, any new client and any existing client who doesn’t already have one can get set up with a secure “client portal” through our practice management software, Practice Panther. You can use your client portal to securely transmit documents to us electronically, to avoid security risks often found in platforms like email. Incidentally, you can also use it to securely make payments to us, not only by credit card but also by electronic check.

Third, if you’re willing to accept the risk of putting important documents in the mail (or with a courier), you could mail them, or FedEx or UPS them, to us. If you use regular mail, we’ll need to allow a little extra time for that.

Finally, if you choose to drop off documents and prefer “contactless delivery,” we have a drop-off box in the entry foyer, right outside the door, and you can just set documents there and ring the doorbell to let us know that you have done so.

If you have any alternative suggestions for how to “make it work smoothly, but also make it safe,” we will welcome them. Like everyone else, we’re doing our best to try to figure out how best to deal with the challenges COVID-19 has imposed on all of us.

Cordially,

Wesley J. Coulson

Veterans Benefits O'Fallon ILFor Immediate Help

If you or a loved one needs immediate help with a planning matter or legal issue, please contact us, and we will get back to you promptly.

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

Champaign-Urbana by appointment

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Join us for a FREE Workshop

 

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

Join us for one of our highly informative and FREE workshops and find out how you can protect your family's hard-earned life savings.

Visit Free Workshops for more information.

Newsletter

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

Recent Posts

  • Knowing What You Own and How You Own It
  • Estate Planning as the First Step for Medicaid Planning
  • Guardianships: The More You Know
  • Medicaid Pre-Planning vs Emergency Medicaid Planning
  • How Should I Prepare for a Move into Long Term Care?

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 (446)
  • Estate Planning (193)
  • Health Care Planning/Medicare (140)
  • Medicaid Eligibility (202)
  • News & Videos (490)
  • Special Needs Planning (48)
  • Trust Administration (14)
  • Veterans Benefits (51)

Front office building of Coulson Elder Law

Front office building of Coulson Elder Law

  • Directions to our office locations
  • Send us an email
  • About Us
  • News and Videos
  • Weekly Newsletter
  • Brochures
  • Presentations
  • Hear From Our Clients
  • Partners & Resources
  • Legal Disclaimer

Copyright © 2025 · Wesley J. Coulson | Dent Coulson Elder Law, LLC