October 26, 2009 HELP FROM THE SANDWICH GENERATION We receive many calls from adult children who are struggling with the task of caring for their aging parents. Perhaps their parents have been in and out of the hospital and various nursing homes. Their parents may be losing their mental capacity, and may have been diagnosed […]
Author Archives: mike
Both of my parents were under hospice care when they passed away. My Mother’s final days were spent at my parents’ home in Santa Rosa, and my Dad’s final days were spent in a board and care home in Alamo. As many of you know, the burdens of caring for a parent or other loved […]
In my experience, I have seen music sooth the behavior of individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease. Music is the universal language, and it affects people in indifferent ways. Studies have shown that music is processed by the brain differently from other information. As a musician, I play a piano jazz hour in nursing homes and assisted […]
Experts suggest that Hispanics may be more suseptible to Alzheimer’s Disease than the general population, according to a New York Times article entitled “Are Hispanics at a Greater Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.” “>” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/us/21alzheimers.html The article suggests that Hispanics may have more risk factors for developing dementia than other groups, and that a signigficant number […]
It is not a requirement that the Veteran purchase an annuity and/or sell his home in order to qualify for the VA “Aid and Attendance” benefit. And, in the majority of cases, neither is necessary. An elder law attorney who deals in this area of planning, will in most instances be accredited by the VA […]
An elderly client of mine died recently. When she first came in to see me, she was in her early 80’s. She was quite frail physically, but very with it mentally. She brought her three children with her. Fortunately, she still had good mental capacity, so we were able to amend her revocable living trust […]
Unlike many other States, probate in California is fairly complicated. If the estate is simple and no federal estate tax is due, the final order can theoretically be obtained within 9 months of the filing of the petition. The more likely scenario is that it can take 12 to 15 months to complete the probate […]
The practice of elder law is a fairly new field within estate planning. I have been in practice for over 30 years, and in private practice for over 20. As a Baby Boomer, my estate planning practice has evolved over the years into an elder law/estate planning practice. My parents are both gone now, but as they […]
We get calls every week from potential clients who tell us they understand that they need to sell their homes in order to qualify for Medi-Cal or for VA Benefits. This week, a couple called and said that they had been advised to sell their home, had done so, and had taken a huge capital gains hit. Selling […]
It is a good idea to review revocable living trusts and the related estate planning documents, to be sure they have the updated elder law language for asset protection and public benefits planning. The daughter of an elderly woman came to see me, to help get the mother qualified for Medi-Cal, and to protect the mother’s home from a […]