While it is important for everyone to plan for their future, it is especially important for a person that has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. The sooner that the planning begins after a diagnosis, the more likely that the person can contribute to the conversation and…
Articles Posted in Elder Law
Surgery Standard Scrutinized for Elderly Patients
At the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine conference earlier this month, Dr. Perla Macip spoke at a talk entitled “The 30-Day Mortality Rule in Surgery: Does This Number Prolong Unnecessary Suffering in Vulnerable Elderly Patients?” In recent years, a number of doctors and other medical professionals have questioned…
Medical Identity Theft Increases as More Health Data Goes Digital
Last year, medical identity theft increased 22% as more U.S. patient health data becomes electronic. While it is easier for doctors and other medical professionals to readily access patient data, the process is also making it easier for cyber criminals to hack into doctors’ offices, hospitals, and insurance companies for…
Long-Term Care Insurance Sees Increases in Price
According to the Long Term Care Consumer Price Index, the overall costs for long-term care insurance coverage increased 8.6% compared to the costs last year. Researchers found that these costs affected both men and women at varying age levels that are currently paying for or are interested in purchasing long-term…
Americans Feeling Better About Retirement Crisis
In a report released last week by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRI), fewer Americans are concerned that they will not have enough money to live on in their retirement. While 86% of Americans agree that the country is in the midst of a retirement crisis, a number that…
Managing Health Care Costs with Crowdfunding
While some say that it takes a village to raise a child, others are now saying that it takes a crowd to pay for rising medical costs. As more caregivers are expected to pay for their loved one’s medical costs out of pocket, they are turning to the internet and…
Chinese Elite Fighting for Palliative Care
Families of China’s political elite and senior Communist Party leaders are now fighting for a more unusual cause: the right for their seniors to die with dignity. Failure to take every measure possible to keep these people alive is considered shameful and is often confused with euthanasia in China. As…
Government to Change How It Rates Nursing Homes
The federal government announced on Thursday that it was changing the way that it rates nursing homes, adjusting the curve that it uses to measure the quality of the communities to make it more difficult to earn four and five star ratings. Using the new guidelines, officials said that many…
Elderly Man Charged with Killing Nursing Home Roommate Dies
An 89 year old man who was charged in the killing of his 86 year old roommate at a Buffalo, New York nursing home facility has died. Chester Rusek, 89, passed away in the Erie County Medical Center, where he was being treated for multiple medical issues. He was charged…
Choosing an End Game for Dementia
A number of elderly people create an advance directive that states that they do not wish to have life-saving measures performed in the case of a medical emergency. But now, more seniors are adding a new provision to their advance directives that state that if they develop a certain level…