State regulations of assisted living facilities
Assisted living facilities are licensed by the state and must follow state regulations set forth in the Florida Administrative Code.
View ArticleElder Law: Planning for potential incapacity
ave you considered what would happen if an elder in your family had a medical problem that prohibited the elder from making decisions? This is a question that elders and their families need to be asking.
View ArticleElder Law: Planning eliminates end-of-life care concerns
When considering end-of-life options for our clients, a number of factors must be considered. It is critical that you receive the right care at the right time. Failure to obtain needed services may...
View ArticleNavigating the complex maze of benefits applications
Dear Jill: My wife is in a nursing home and I have applied for Medicaid. Luckily, I was able to find a knowledgeable person to help me, so I did not have to pay for assistance in applying. But the...
View ArticleHospital admissions can be complicated
When a loved one goes into the hospital, our concerns are focused on his or her health and making sure that he or she gets better. However, admission to the hospital carries with it legal and financial...
View ArticleElder Law: Planning well vital for chronic care needs
What are the down sides of having a power of attorney for my parents?
View ArticleElder Law: Used carefully, durable powers of attorney often prove useful
The pitfalls of a durable power of attorney
View ArticleElder Law: The expanded role of the elder law attorney
Elder law attorneys have long helped clients pay for nursing home care through the use of the Medicaid program.
View ArticleElder Law: Veteran’s Benefits: Aid and Attendance
Many Veterans are not aware of the benefits they have access to by virtue of their service. Specifically, Veterans who served during war-time may be entitled to a monthly pension amount to help pay for...
View ArticleElder Law: Consider issues before gifting real property
We often meet with prospective clients who have decided to convey real property to their children or other beneficiaries for vari ous reasons. Sometimes we hear that the goal is “avoiding probate.”...
View ArticleElder Law: Know rules that apply to long-term care policies
Long-term care insurance can provide a source of funds to pay for long term care.
View ArticleElder Law: Nursing homes must try to accommodate residents’ needs
By law, nursing homes must make reasonable adjustments to honor the preferences of the residents. The time and place to request these adjustments is in the care plan meeting for the resident. Nursing...
View ArticleElder Law: Establishing Caregiver Contracts
According to the National Alliance for Caregiving Report, Caring in the U.S. 2009 about 48.9 million Americans spend an average of 20 hours a week caring for a loved one 50 years old or older....
View ArticleELDER LAW: Benefits of home health care
Most people would prefer to have long-term care provided in the home as opposed to receiving care in a fa- cility. This type of care is particularly expensive. However, most long-term care policies do...
View ArticleELDER LAW: Change in law gives surviving spouses choice
Last year, the long-standing homestead law in Florida changed. The old law provided that (as long as there was no pre- or post-nuptial agreement waiving rights) a surviving spouse was entitled to at...
View ArticleELDER LAW: The new focus of estate planning
Years ago when I would meet with clients to discuss estate planning, much of what we discussed was minimizing taxes. Today the focus has changed. While our job includes making sure that our clients are...
View ArticleELDER LAW: When should seniors stop driving?
We often speak with families who are concerned about the driving abil ity of their elderly loved ones. Giving up driving is very dif ficult because it can signal a great loss of independence. How ever,...
View ArticleElder law: Planning at time of diagnosis
Most patients and their family members are not entirely surprised when a diagnosis of dementia is made by a physician.
View ArticleElder law: Illness strikes the blended family
Blended families are families where one or both spouses have children by a previous marriage. Typically, parties want to provide for each other and also for their chil dren of prior marriages. The...
View ArticleJill Burzynski's Elder Law: Multiple ramifications of annual exclusion gifting
As the end of the year approaches, many may be thinking about utilizing the $13,000 annual gift tax exclusion. The annual gift tax exclusion makes it possible to give money to any number of people...
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