Deciding how to receive the medical care that a person needs is a critical part of the elder law process. Unfortunately, the unpredictable nature of aging and medical issues can make it challenging to determine what lies ahead. Various states have also begun to attempt to resolve financing challenges associated…
The combined pressures of growing need, rising costs, and altered ideas of the best way to live one’s golden years is leading to a revolution in the look and feel of elder care. To be sure, changes in the way seniors in need receive support are still occurring far too…
A somewhat bizarre story out of Europe is leading a few elder care experts in the United States to question whether “shipping away” seniors may be part of the future of long-term care for some families. As reported by the BBC, one adult daughter in Switzerland ignited an ethical debate…
The changing face of New York nursing home care continued this weekend as another county officially got out of the elder care business. As reported by Syracuse News, the Van Duyn Home and Hospital was transferred by Onondaga County to the “Upstate Services Group” — a private company that owns…
The look and feel of elder care in the United States is changing. In the distant past, most care was provided by friends and family members at their own homes. Later, larger facilities (nursing homes) were built to provide more consistent care to all seniors, especially those without options for…
Many New Yorkers remain unfamiliar with the benefit and flexibility of using trusts to plan for the future and protect assets in the present. Trusts can prove useful for all residents, including most middle class families. In our work with estate planning, we often help set up basic living trusts…
Debate and discussion around the ideal setting to care for older individuals has raged for decades. The trends are somewhat cyclical. In the distant past, virtually all aging took place at homes. “Traditional,” nuclear families were more common, and so seniors who could no longer live on their own almost…
The face of long-term care in New York continues to change. In the past, when seniors were in need of close, around-the-clock care their main option was to move into a skilled nursing home in their community, usually owned by the county itself. These public facilities long acted as the…
Advocating for better long-term care is not just a concern of NY elder law attorneys. Policymakers at all levels and of all political persuasions are also keenly aware of the impact that the growing need for long-term care will have on communities nationwide. There are few challenges more acute than…
A non-profit group called “Families for Better Care” recently released a comprehensive report card that ranks the skilled nursing care in all 50 states. The report, one of the most comprehensive ever, was based on a mountain of data taken from federal reports from 2013. Every state received a letter…