Category: Elder Law
Emotionally, it’s hard to let go of a home filled with memories. Moving is a hassle, and downsizing to a smaller home isn’t always the cash bonanza some might expect. When entering your golden years of retirement, what is the ideal living arrangement for your new stage of life? Do you stay in your home […]
If you or a family member land in the hospital as an observation patient and think you should be admitted, it’s better to act sooner than later. When it comes to whether or not care is covered by Medicare, the distinction between being “admitted” or just “under observation” is critical. This is especially important when […]
We say it over and over again. Check your beneficiary forms! Don’t let your retirement funds go down the drain. Anything involving the court system is rarely quick and painless (probate anyone?). Fortunately, IRAs can easily be transferred to your loved ones outside of probate simply by completing a beneficiary designation form. But what if […]
My mother gave me money in 2009. Now (2013) she is in a nursing home and needs to get Medicaid. Does that money need to go back in her account because of Medicaid’s five-year lookback? Medicaid is wound tight with very well-intentioned rules to stop people from taking advantage of or “beating the system.” These rules […]
If a beneficiary disagrees with a decision, there are reconsideration and appeals procedures within the Medicare program. Medicare approvals can be tough at times, and some may find their claims come up with the big “D” – denial. So what happens when Medicare denies a beneficiary’s claim for care? While it is not always smooth […]
“It seems like there seems to continue to be confusion about what it means to die using neurologic criteria,” said Cynda Hylton Rushton, professor of clinical ethics at Johns Hopkins University. Two recent medical cases are making headlines over the often blurry lines between life, death, medical ethics and the law. When confronting issues like […]
“Hopefully, older adults who previously were unable to afford to see a therapist will now be more likely to do so,” said Andrea Callow, a policy lawyer with the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Now that 2014 is officially here, it’s time to start reviewing the Obamacare provisions that went into effect January 1. One change […]
What would happen to your e-mail accounts if you suddenly died? Are familiar with the notion of a digital estate? What happens to your online bank accounts, emails, social media and your entire digital presence on the web when you pass away? Imagine a world without you in which your heirs cannot access your digital […]
Aging parents need to establish a plan and communicate it with their adult kids — and adult kids need to ask their parents about their finances. In our own lives, our parents start and run the money conversations from that first allowance to gearing up for those college loans and beyond. Later in life, the […]
Often, proxies are confused about how “do not hospitalize” orders work. Several proxies believed, mistakenly, that a such an order was equivalent to a request to withhold medical intervention altogether. For elderly loved ones in nursing homes, there is a very powerful tool found in a little known directive known as the “do not hospitalize” […]
