An estimated 5.2 million people suffer from Alzheimer's Disease today. One of the most prevalent types of dementia, Alzheimer's can quickly become crippling, for both the individual and their loved ones. In this short video, listen in as Jerry Shiles, Elder Law attorney from Parman & Easterday, visits with two Geriatrics and Bereavement specialists, Moya Cazares-Sealy and Bill House, who focus on helping families navigate the challenges arising from Alzheimer's. Here they discuss the … [Read more...] about Successfully Navigating the Challenges of Alzheimer’s
Videos
Care Management for the Elderly
As we get older, thinking about retirement and aging can raise many questions, both for the person getting older and their adult children. Most start with, “how am I going to pay for…” How are you going to pay for all the care you may need and what are all your care options? It’s important to think about care management, not just for financial reasons but to ensure you get the best care possible for yourself or a grandparent, mother or father who may need it. It’s never too early to get … [Read more...] about Care Management for the Elderly
Survey: 61% Without Living Will
People have no problem planning ahead for many things, but for some reason estate planning and elder law issues are often placed on the back burner. Surveys consistently come back with results that are quite disturbing with regard to the estate planning preparedness of American adults. They say that death and taxes are the only certainties, but in spite of this the majority of people in the United States have not executed all the appropriate estate planning documents. … [Read more...] about Survey: 61% Without Living Will
Don’t Ignore Your Power of Attorney
First of all, let’s review what a Power of Attorney is: a tool that gives legal authority to another person (called the Agent or Attorney-in-Fact) to make property, financial, and other legal decisions for the Principal (the person who signs the Power of Attorney). The Power of Attorney is useful for when you go on long trips (such as an extended deployment if you are in the military) or if you know you will have a long hospital stay. A Durable Power of Attorney means it will remain … [Read more...] about Don’t Ignore Your Power of Attorney
Oklahoma Incapacity Planning FAQ: What Is a Living Will?
There are things to take into consideration beyond the transfer of financial assets when you are planning your estate. If you want to be comprehensively prepared you should consider the possibility of future incapacity. Oklahoma incapacity planning is going to involve the execution of documents called Advance Health Care Directives. One of these directives is a living will. … [Read more...] about Oklahoma Incapacity Planning FAQ: What Is a Living Will?
Learn to Help Others Navigate the Issues of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Did you know that 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia; it is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States - the only one out of the top ten with no methods of preventing or slowing it down; about 60% of family-caregivers are dying BEFORE the patient because of the 24/7 stress of taking care of their loved one; and in Oklahoma alone, the number of people who will suffer from Alzheimer's will double in the next ten years. … [Read more...] about Learn to Help Others Navigate the Issues of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Who Pays for Nursing Home Care?
Recently an elder law colleague related the following. His client was sued by a nursing home for nonpayment, claiming nearly $60,000 in unpaid services. The client had applied for Medicaid, but his application was denied and the case was on appeal. The problem was that the client’s daughter signed the nursing home admissions agreement for him, so now both of them were being sued. The daughter was his power of attorney and the nursing home knew this, but she didn’t sign "POA" … [Read more...] about Who Pays for Nursing Home Care?
Three Estate Planning Donts
When it comes to estate planning, we talk quite a bit about what you should do. DO make sure that your estate plan is up to date for example, and DO discuss the different options with your estate planning attorney to be sure you have the right documents in place. Now it's time to talk about a few "don’ts" - mistakes you want to make sure to avoid at all costs. We've listed the top three here, but, as always, discussing your unique concerns with us is always your best bet. 1.) Don't overlook … [Read more...] about Three Estate Planning Donts
What to Do When Estate Planning Decisions Don’t Involve the Whole Family
Recently one of our newsletter readers submitted a question to “Elder Care Matters” of which I am a member. The question was: "My mother is 91 years old and has Dementia/Alzheimer’s. She does not know how to read or write, but . . . granted Power of Attorney for her finances to my elder sibling. This was done in secrecy and did not take the rest of the family into consideration. Now my sibling has taken over my mother’s house and her bank funds and has placed my mother in a nursing home … [Read more...] about What to Do When Estate Planning Decisions Don’t Involve the Whole Family
Is Your Estate Plan Thoughtfully Constructed?
While most people do not have an estate plan in place, there are those who have made minimal efforts. There are websites on the Internet that sell legal documents including last wills. Maybe you are among those who have pieced something together using one of these downloads or worksheets under the idea that anything is better than nothing.Anything is better than nothing in some cases, but it may not be better in others. If you had no last will all of your assets would be passed along to your … [Read more...] about Is Your Estate Plan Thoughtfully Constructed?
