The Elder Care Journey - The Elder & Disability Law Firm, PA

When discussing Alzheimer?s, it is our practice at the Elder & Disability Law Firm to use the term ?Elder Care Journey.? The concept of the Elder Care Journey is just that-living with Alzheimer?s disease is not a battle, it is not a death sentence, it is merely a new kind of journey both for the patient and their loved ones. Our firm?s role in your journey is one of planning. In providing for an Alzheimer?s patient and their family, planning ahead-specifically legal planning-is possibly the most important factor. When a person is younger; in their 30?s, 40?s, even 50?s, they?ll probably put some kind of Estate Planning in place, wills and trusts, etc. But as time marches on, that person may begin to suffer from memory loss, or limited mobility, or even Alzheimer?s, the question answered by that early Estate Planning, ?What happens when I die?? is not the question we need to answer; instead we have to consider, ?What happens if I don?t die, but instead become sick?? In Kansas City, nursing home care is anywhere between five and six thousand dollars per month, possibly more with Alzheimer?s, and assisted living facilities between $4000 and $4500 monthly.

So what documents do you need to have in place?

Wills, trusts, powerful powers of attorney, trusts with no traps. And when dealing with Alzheimer?s, you want to go even further. The reason being that even if the patient?s support system; family, friends, whomever, can offer in home care for a while, if that patient lives long enough, there?s a good chance that they will eventually need assisted living or specific care in an Alzheimer?s unit, and that care is expensive, and not necessarily the simplest thing to do.

Under the old rules concerning this kind of planning, which changed on February 8, 2006, it was simple to take planning steps right up until the time that nursing home care became a necessity, but not anymore. Planning did not become a lost cause however, it just became more complicated. There are things that can be done at this time, but to plan ahead most effectively, the best thing to do is take the big picture into account and ask yourself a question you may not want to consider: are there things that need to be done if my loved one?s disease progresses past the point that they can legally make their own decisions? How do we make sure that they don?t run out of money? The best step to take to answer these questions and others: meet with an elder law attorney; it is their job to keep you in money and in options.

Consider this: in a marriage where the husband is the Alzheimer?s patient and he has always been the primary breadwinner, if and when he needs nursing home care, his wife may be left with a lot less than she will be comfortable with, considering the cost of care. And this is why planning ahead is so important, to ensure that that situation is avoided as much as possible-not to mention the fact that there may be benefits available; VA, Medicaid, or private insurance, all of which an elder law attorney is well versed in and can help you find. To make your journey as smooth as possible, you have to plan. The Elder Care Journey is not one to embark on with no thought; make sure you get the right documents in place as soon as is possible. Draft powerful powers of attorney, wills, trusts, and asset transfers-and do not hesitate to contact the professionals that can make this easier-all to the end of making sure that there are no surprises down the road.

Tags: alzheimers, caregiving, Estate Planning

Source: http://www.kcelderlaw.com/blog/kansas-and-missouri-alzheimers-care/the-elder-care-journey/

dan peek dunkin donuts buffalo bills dallas cowboys atlanta braves your highness gene simmons family jewels