There are many factors that go into maintaining a budget in a family while also trying to save for the future. For Americans, the cost of maintaining a household has gotten continuously more expensive; the average cost of raising a child born in 2013 now costs roughly $245,000 for a…
Articles Posted in Elder Law
Common Estate Planning Mistakes
Planning how your assets are going to be distributed and for your health care needs is an important tool all adults, not just elders should utilize. However, over 60% of Americans have not made a basic will. There are many misconceptions about estate planning and the reasons for it, which…
Divorce: It’s Influence on Your Estate Planning
Making a will can be a time consuming process that involves the interest of a potentially large amount of people. One of these interests is that of the testator’s spouse. A surviving spouse is generally presumed to be the first heir to which asset distribution goes to in the event…
Technology Aiding the Aging Population
As the older population continues aging, we are constantly trying to find new tools to help this population manage their lifestyle with more ease. Assistive technology is any service or tool that aids the aging population in performing their otherwise increasingly difficult or impossible daily activities. This technology ranges from…
MOLST Forms Gaining Attention
MOLST Forms, What Are They? Easily identifiable by its bright pink color, another advance directive has been approved for use in New York medical treatment and healthcare administration. Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment are medical forms similar to a DNR Order, being that they both provide for life of…
Palliative Care: Know Your Rights To It
New York Statute In February 2011, New York amended the Palliative Care Information Act, requiring doctors and nurse practitioners to inform terminally-ill patients about end of life options and counseling regarding palliative care. To receive palliative care information under the New York statute, the patient must reasonably be…
Back to the Basics – What is a Bequest?
When writing a will, many people seek to ensure that certain people in their lives get specific things, such as a family heirloom necklace, property, or an allotted amount of money. The gifting of property or assets to a certain person through the provisions of your will is called…
Two Wills, Two Different Countries
International Will Issues As our world continues to grow and technology allows us to move places once never thought imagined, many individuals have the opportunity to live abroad throughout the course of their lives. After spending time in a specific area, whether it is for the majority of your life…
Elders Right to Live in the Community
In 1999, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C. that, consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with mental disabilities have a right to live within their community as opposed to an institution, if professionals have determined that the patient’s ability to adapt and live in…
NON-PROFIT REPRESENTATIVE PAYEES FOR DISABLED
GROWING NEED More ten million elderly Americans rely exclusively on their Social Security pension as their sole means of support. Approximately 90 percent of senior citizens receive some sort of income from Social Security and approximately half of those relied on Social Security for at least half of their monthly…