Last year was the craziest we have experienced. In elder law, it has been pronounced. We have seen more clients die this year and not just from Covid 19 but also from natural causes and, we presume, from loneliness and common ailments that might be caught sooner if a family was able to visit. Elder […]
Category: Blog
Learning Life Lessons From Those With Disabilities.
Like many, the pandemic has led to a lot of TV-watching for our family. One of our favorites has been World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji. It documents 66 teams in their desire to compete or merely finish a grueling 417-mile course over 11 days. My husband and I sit and watch in awe […]
Reflections of a Law Firm ElderCare Coordinator
The Added Value of a Law Firm ElderCare Coordinator Why have a social worker and an ElderCare Coordinator at an Elder Care Law Firm? There is a value to that extra component which can add another layer of compassion and care to those seeking to make decisions for their loved ones, for families are fraught […]
The Benefit of Having an Elder Care Coordinator
Having an Elder Care Coordinator on Your Side Sometimes, when having a loved one in a nursing home or an assisted living facility, circumstances can materialize that require having someone advocating for their interests above those of the facility. That’s when you’ll be glad having an elder care coordinator on your side. An Unfortunate Circumstance […]
Local Home Repair Scams Targeting Seniors
Storm season is here, and that means something else has arrived: home repair scams. A member of the Lyndhurst community Facebook page recently posted that police had been called on two people going door-to-door saying they noticed roof damage and claiming they could give the homeowner a new roof and pay their insurance deductible. Such […]
10 Warning Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s
If you see someone wearing purple this month, they might be showing their support for efforts to end Alzheimer’s disease. June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, and the Alzheimer’s Association is asking people to wear purple to help raise awareness about the disease, which will become more prevalent as the baby boomer generation ages. […]
Elder Care Solutions for the Sandwich Generation
What and who is the Sandwich Generation? The Sandwich Generation is a group of people mostly between the ages of 40 to 65, who are “sandwiched” between the obligations of bringing up their own children, owning a home, college expenses, health care expenses, a job, and caring for aging spouse or parents. Sometimes care is […]
Broaching the Difficult Conversations Surrounding Elder Care
As a social worker who has devoted my career to helping the elderly, one of the phrases I hear quite frequently is from children facing the health decline of their parents: “I always promised Mom that I would never put her in a home.” During the course of constructing a life care plan with […]
Protecting the Elderly From Abuse – June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month
There are over ½ million reports of elder abuse each year. Can you believe that? What are we missing? Why is this happening? How could anyone want to abuse our elders? Abuse is not always done with force. Often times it can be neglect, which can include not keeping the elder safe, not giving proper […]
June is National Safety Month: Take Preventative Measures to Keep Safe
National Safety Month is here and we encourage organizations to be involved in influencing others to learn about preventable injuries and situations. We should all feel a sense of responsibility to ourselves, and those around us, to create a culture that makes everyone safer. The elderly often find themselves more prone to injuries due to […]
Avoiding Inheritance Issues
There are a few major issues that can cause disputes within a family and the number one being that family members sometimes just don’t get along. The second is the more money and assets there are, the more there is to argue about. Whether you have a ton of material things or you have nothing, […]
Why Trusts are Important
Trust: An agreement that describes how assets will be managed and held for the benefit of another person. Why are trusts so important? What is the benefit? Most of us don’t know where to start, what the terminology means and how to decipher anything that is going on. Often times, when sifting through and trying […]
Ideas to Stay Active After Retirement
Retiring is a wonderful luxury that most seniors have worked toward their entire life. They’ve put in long hours, hard work and sacrificed many things to get to where they are today and nothing sounds more glamorous than sitting back, feet up and relaxing around the house during retirement. However, balancing retirement and activities are […]
Home for the Holidays: Warning Signs to Watch For
The holidays are upon us and it’s time to pack up your bags, lug the children & take a trip down memory lane to travel to your parent’s home! While this time of year is heart-warming, it also brings about reflection and we tend to put things into perspective. Maybe we didn’t notice that mom […]
Where There is a Will There is a Way
When is the last time you updated your Will? Do you have a Will? If you’re like the majority of people, you’ve probably thought about it but haven’t quite yet followed through on those plans. Sound about right? Many times people will begin the process of selecting and choosing how they will carry out their […]
Tips for Eldercare Planning
Our elders are a touchy subject. Our parents typically represent our existence, memories that can’t be escaped – good times & bad – and parts of ourselves that we hope to continue to carry on in our children. Add planning for their inevitable closure to the mix, and it can be a roller coaster of […]
What Happens When Elders Can No Longer Care For Their Pets?
Pets are so very important for the well-being of the elderly. According to Dr. Duffy Jones, a veterinarian in Atlanta, GA, “The value that animals bring to people is amazing. I’ve seen older people struggle financially and not feed themselves so they can feed their animal. Their pet is the reason they get up in […]
September Is National Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month
What is atrial fibrillation, more commonly known as Afib? First of all, it’s serious. It’s when the upper two chambers of the heart beat rapidly and unpredictably. This condition can cause blood to collect in the heart and potentially form a clot. The clot could travel to a person’s brain, and cause a stroke. People […]
The Vacation Home: To Pass it Down or Not to Pass it Down?
A vacation home is often times a quintessential part of childhood memories, family trips & once in a lifetime experiences. They are typically passed down from generation to generation where they can be used to create new memories for years to come. Most owners put a lot of time, energy and sacrifice into saving and […]
The New Breed of Service Dog: Canine Caregivers for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients
The emotional and physical benefits of pet ownership are now helping people who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The concept of guide dogs for Alzheimer’s patients came out of research in Israel. Dafna Golan-Shemesh, a social worker, and her partner Yariv Ben Yosef, a dog trainer, developed a program called Alzheimer’s Aid […]
