It’s almost winter, which means colder days, preparing for snow and an increased risk of colds and other illnesses. While most of us can recover after a couple days of rest, common illnesses can take a toll on the elderly and infirm. Illnesses can spread rapidly throughout a patient population even in the best and… Continue Reading
Category Archives: For Caregivers
Resources for Senior Drivers & Their Families
Are you concerned about your driving skills as you get older? AAA offers resources to test your reflexes and help you improve your driving skills. They also have tips for buying a vehicle that will remain accessible as you age and what to look out for when driving if you take medications. Check out their… Continue Reading
Links of Interest: Dementia
The New York Times had a recent article on money issues and Alzheimer’s disease. New research shows that one of the first signs of impending dementia is an inability to understand money and credit, contracts and agreements. It is not just families who are affected — financial advisers and lawyers say they are finding themselves… Continue Reading
Links of Interest
Here are some recent estate planning articles from around the web. Links will open in a new window, so you can read the articles without losing this page. …[I]f an individual dies intestate (without a will) the probate courts will determine how to distribute that person’s assets. And although the court system may ultimately decide… Continue Reading
How Do You Deal With Stress? (And why does your lawyer care?)
(Hingham Bathing Beach Park, a great place to de-stress.) Very often the people in my office (or reading my website) are under some type of stress. Either they are overwhelmed caring for an aging parent or ailing loved one, they are nervous about planning for their future and thinking about their death or disability, or… Continue Reading
How Do I Convince My Parents to Do Their Wills?
This is a very common question that I get from adult children calling my office, friends asking about their parents or that I sometimes ask myself. While we know that we mean well when we want to make sure our parents have their estate plan in place, I think that what our parents hear is… Continue Reading
Why Am I In the Waiting Room?
If you bring your parent to an appointment with an elder law attorney, you might want to bring a good book or your knitting. This is because you may be sitting in the waiting room for most of the meeting. The American Bar Association explains why in their pamphlet Why Am I Left in the… Continue Reading
Bringing a Trusted Friend To a Meeting
Doctors sometimes recommend that you bring a companion to an appointment where a second set of ears may be useful. Sometimes my clients find it helpful to bring a second set of ears to our meetings together, and will invite a friend, family member or other trusted advisor to sit in. This usually takes place… Continue Reading
Helping Your Health Care Proxy
April is Health Care Decisions month, the month when you are supposed to sign health care proxies and talk to your family about your “end of life wishes.” I know many people will sign health care proxies, but I wonder how many will take that next step to communicate their wishes to their families, or… Continue Reading
There’s No Right (or Wrong) Time to Talk About It
People often think that you need to have “the talk” about important subjects. As though having one giant conversation at some magic age with your kids about sex or drugs or drinking will be sufficient to last them through out the rest of their growing up years. And very often my older clients think they… Continue Reading