Many seniors and those with disabilities need Medicaid to cover home care costs, which allow them to remain in their own homes while receiving care. If the American Health Care Act becomes law, what impact will it have on seniors?…
A living will is a document that sets forth your wishes concerning the extent of medical care you want to receive. It operates during your lifetime if you become unable to communicate your wishes at the time a healthcare decision…
As elder law attorneys, we meet with clients and help them create a plan for their future; many of these plans include planning for long-term care.
We discuss options for long-term care—such as long-term care insurance, private pay, and Medicaid. For most seniors, obtaining Medicaid to pay for nursing home care or care at home is a must. Very few people can afford to pay privately for extended long-term care, which is not covered by Medicare.
However, when it comes time to submit a Medicaid application, many seniors and their families choose to either submit it on their own or enlist non-lawyers to help with the application—often because they are afraid of the legal fees.
A pooled trust allows disabled individuals who are under age 65 to become financially eligible for public assistance, e.g. Medicaid, SSI, etc. This type of trust provides flexibility—allowing individuals to preserve their assets and monthly income necessary to pay for…
When Kelly learned she was to receive this year’s Theresa Award, she experienced a wave of emotions. She was happy and honored, of course, but this was coupled with a sense that she was not a worthy recipient. She is…
Attorneys who advocate for seniors and the disabled often cite a specific event or personal relationship as their inspiration. Amos’ aha moment came early in his career, when his mother-in-law told him she was selling her home. Asked why, she responded that she’d been told to do so by a man who was trying to sell her an annuity.
Amos investigated and discovered that the annuity was wholly inappropriate for a person in her situation and the sale of her home was unnecessary. Fortunately, Amos intervened before it was too late. He was able to structure his mother-in-law’s assets in such a way that she had enough to live on comfortably for the rest of her life. She was even able to put her grandson, Amos’ nephew, through college.
This year’s winner of the Spirit of Theresa Award has been there from the beginning. Actually, Judy Murdaugh-Jackson has been there from before the beginning. Judy and Susan Russo met in New York, even before Susan married Vincent Russo, and…
In Do I Need a MOLST Form?, we discussed who might need a MOLST form and in which situations. Below we’ll discuss how a MOLST form is executed. There are certain medical requirements that need to be met in order…
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Theresa who had a pink wheelchair. She had big brown eyes, fabulous pigtails, and the greatest smile on earth. Every day she would go to school in a small yellow…
A MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form is a medical order form that tells healthcare providers a patient’s medical orders for life-sustaining treatment. The form includes medical orders and patient preferences regarding resuscitation instructions when the patient has no…