Seven million adults in the United States care for their elderly parents from afar, according to the National Institute on Aging. But it is no easy task to coordinate doctor’s visits long-distance or evaluate nursing homes or analyze the safety of your parents’ home if — like 90 percent of older adults, according a recent AARP poll — they choose to age in place. However, if you cannot stay at home, due to ill health or cannot perform activities of daily living, your options may be choosing a nursing home. At the Law Office we are in contact with many…
Parents of children with special needs are no strangers to years of expensive care for their children. As a result, a growing number of financial-services companies, lawyers and financial planners are referring to themselves as “special-needs planners”, and help parents provide for children with disabilities, particularly in the event that parents are no longer alive to do so. These professionals provide guidance for families through the complex maze of federal and state programs for disabled individuals, and help establish trusts, insurance policies, retirement plans and estate-planning documents. The financial crisis has added urgency to families’ concerns insofar as how their…
1. Figure out what type of place your parents need and what your family can afford. 2. Involve your parents in the decision, if they’re up to it. 3. Before hiring an eldercare consultant, ask how he or she gets paid. 4. Make sure a facility is a good fit for your parents socially. 5. Conduct your own onsite inspection of any facility before signing up your parents. 6. Research the Medicare and state evaluations for the facilities you’re considering. 7. Read the facility’s contract carefully. 8. Above all, plan ahead.
The challenge is daunting; however, not doing anything can be worse. Sometimes, having a professional elder care attorney and care coordinators can help with the situation.
Frederick, MD 
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