If an individual becomes incapacitated, it is important that someone have the legal authority to communicate that person's wishes concerning medical treatment. Similar to a power of attorney, a health care agent allows an individual to appoint someone else to act as their agent, but for medical, as opposed to financial, decisions. The health care agent is a document executed by a competent person (the principal) giving another person (the agent) the authority to make health care decisions for the principal if he or she is unable to communicate such decisions. By executing a health care agent, principals ensure that…
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As the Baby Boomer generation continues to age, more and more seniors are finding themselves facing a harsh reality: they didn’t adequately plan financially for their later years. Sure they saved enough to retire, pay the bills, and travel. However, there is a potential financial drain waiting towards the end of their lives that they just did not see coming—the need for long term care. Perhaps this is where you find yourself now. Maybe your spouse has suffered a debilitating fall and you need a home health aide to assist you in caring for them. Or perhaps you are an…
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“When you buy a car or a house, you expect to haggle for the best price. It turns out that you can do the same thing when you shop for long-term care.” There are some things you just don’t haggle about but, perhaps contrary to what you would guess, it turns out that long-term care isn’t one of those things. Long-term care is expensive, to say the least, but as explained in a recent article in SmartMoney, there are some expenses that may be negotiable. Nursing homes usually will not negotiate fees, but you may be able to negotiate with…
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If you or a loved one are enrolled in Medicare, you might want to take advantage of some of the free preventive care screenings now available. Starting this year, seniors enrolled in Medicare no longer have to pay for more than a dozen tests and other preventive health care services. These benefits, which also include an annual wellness exam, are part of the new federal health-care law. But big crowds are not lining up for the free mammograms or colonoscopies. Why not? Well, honestly, some of the tests are unpleasant and most people would prefer not to undergo a colonoscopy…
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Is your work, commitments, family demands and responsibilities now so great that you are not able to provide the desired level of advocacy, supervision and attention to your loved one’s issues?
Frederick, MD 
301-663-9230
