Government statistics show that literally hundreds of billions of dollars of uncompensated care is provided by family member caregivers to those with Alzheimer’s. This opens up a great planning opportunity for both Medicaid and VA benefits. It is possible to compensate family member caregivers and not have the payments count as gifts, if done correctly […]
Why You Want to Avoid Guardianship or Conservatorship For an Alzheimer’s Victim
People diagnosed with Alzheimer’s will, unfortunately, eventually lose their capacity for making decisions. When this happens, if they don’t have someone who’s been given authority to act for them through powers of attorney, the only alternative is court proceedings that are known as guardianships and conservatorships. There are many reasons why you would want to avoid guardianship or […]
Alzheimer’s and Why Powers of Attorney Need to be Durable
Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and unfortunately people with Alzheimer’s will eventually lose their capacity to make decisions. So, it’s important that certain legal documents, especially powers of attorney, are not only in place, but done so that they will still serve their purposes at the time that it is going to be needed the […]
Why the Medicare Five-Star Ratings for Nursing Homes May Not be as Meaningful as You May Think
The Medicare Five-Star Ratings system lends itself to the underlying assumption that one set of criteria can determine what’s best for everyone. This is simply not true. Each person entering a nursing home has different needs and wants, and therefore the priorities of what’s important are different for each individual. While some may need a […]
Alzheimer’s and Handling Driving Privileges
Senior drivers are at greater risk of being involved in a traffic accident than any other age group. As we age, there are a lot of natural circumstances that affect our driving that aren’t necessarily Alzheimer’s related. Our reflexes get slower, we lose visual acuity, and our hearing diminishes as we age. So, the topic […]