Have you always thought that there could not be anything more shocking than a cancer diagnosis for your parents? When you learn this devastating news, so many questions rush through your head: How much time do we have? What do we need to do? Is there a cure in sight? What health care needs will they have now? What can I do to help? Do they need a second opinion? These are just the start of the list of questions you need answers to in the coming days.
As experienced Florida estate planning attorneys, we know just how concerning a cancer diagnosis is. Now is the time to not only think about the health care needs of your aging parents but it is also the time to think proactively about their future. You will want to ask questions to determine:
There is also now the question about whether or not your aging parents will be able to care for themselves. You also may be concerned and have serious questions related to how to find and pay for their necessary care, now and in the future as their healthcare needs change. Be aware that healthcare support can come in all forms for your aging parents. Consider options in the community such as:
The process of finding care for your aging parents can be a heavy responsibility, and one you may not be able to complete without help when you work full time and have a family of your own. The health of your parents may also decline to the point where they cannot live alone or need to be in a safe environment such as an assisted living facility or nursing home. While the first step is identifying the care they need, the next one is to find the funds to pay for it.
Do you know if your parents have the ability to pay for the care they need? Medicare and Medicaid, for instance, may provide financial assistance with a cancer diagnosis. While Medicare and Medicaid are different programs and can help in different ways. Medicare is the health insurance program for adults over age 65. Many of the available Medicare plans pay up to 80% of the costs of all of the doctor’s visits and diagnostic tests that come prior to a cancer diagnosis, until the health insurance deductible is met. Medicare may then cover the remaining costs for the pre-diagnosis visits. This can make Medicare very useful for patients with cancer until long-term care is necessary. Unfortunately, Medicare has a limited nursing home benefit, paying only for 100 days of care.
Now, if your loved ones need custodial care, then Medicaid may be able to help. This will depend on the income and assets of your aging parents. A qualified Florida elder law attorney can advise you as you walk through the process of obtaining Medicaid services for your loved ones and help you through this challenging time.
We know this article may raise more questions than it answers. Our office is here to help you navigate the legal issues related to seeking and covering the cost of memory care. We encourage you to contact us and schedule a meeting with our attorneys.
Have you and your loved one just received the news that your loved one has Parkinson’s disease? Are you learning that as Parkinson’s progresses, the inability of your loved one to walk, bathe, and dress increases, as does the risk of falling? Also, if Parkinson's prohibits your loved one from living in his or her home, you and your loved one are now faced with the difficult decision of having to move your loved one into a nursing home. With the decision to place a loved one in a nursing home, there is also the question of how to afford the exorbitant cost of the nursing home? How can you pay for a nursing home if your loved one has Parkinson’s?
Start by determining if your loved one has any benefits which could possibly cover the cost of a nursing home. These benefits could include a long-term care insurance policy, life insurance policies, which can be cashed out, or veteran’s benefits. If your loved one does have one or more of these benefits, gather all the supporting documents, which may include original insurance policies or proof of veteran’s benefits and make copies. By talking about and locating these benefits now, you have the required proof of coverage should your loved one’s mental capacity decline as Parkinson’s progresses.
Next, you should seriously consider meeting with a qualified Florida elder law attorney. An elder law attorney, experienced in the area of long-term care planning, can assist in the review of any benefits you believe may cover the cost of a nursing home. In addition to the benefits, meeting with an elder law attorney can be one of the most reliable ways of determining how to afford a nursing home, when the time comes. In the discussion of paying for a nursing home you and your loved one need to know that Medicare does not cover the cost of any long-term nursing home care, Medicaid does. However, eligibility for Medicaid is based upon your loved one’s assets and, again, a qualified elder law attorney may assist in the drafting of planning documents, such as a trust, which may make your loved one eligible for Medicaid. This type of planning is most effective if conducted early, because there are time limits on the transfer of assets, which may affect Medicaid eligibility.
We know that a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is stressful, and it typically comes with many other issues to navigate. By working with a qualified Florida elder law attorney early in the diagnosis, you and your loved one can develop the best strategy of helping to assure your loved one will be able to afford a nursing home when the time comes. Your loved one will then have the peace of mind that he or she will receive the care that he or she needs, and you and your loved one can focus on sharing quality time in the present and future.
Our office is here to help you navigate the legal issues related to seeking and covering the cost of memory care. We encourage you to contact us and schedule a meeting with our attorneys.
Do you have a loved one with a disability? Do you have a loved one recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis? As you and your loved one know, it can often be a lengthy and stressful time to get a diagnosis of MS. As you, your family and your loved one work to accept the diagnosis, you may need to begin special-needs planning. We would like to discuss some special needs planning tips for you and your loved one.
• Early planning is essential. In many cases of multiple sclerosis, the brain loses the ability to send messages to certain parts of the body, which may impede a person’s ability to communicate. We realize this can be a frightening prospect to confront but it makes early planning necessary to prevent any issues of testamentary capacity from arising. In addition, if your loved one has minor children, one of the most important things to do may be to name a guardian for the children, in the event that your loved one becomes unable to take care of them.
• Your loved one should make medical wishes known. Your loved one should have health care documents in place, such as a living will and health care surrogate. The living will can set forth your loved one’s wishes regarding end of life medical care. A health care surrogate can designate a trusted loved one to make medical decisions on his or her behalf in the event of incapacitation. Most importantly, because of the high level of medical care associated with multiple sclerosis, it may be important to work with a Florida estate planning attorney experienced with multiple sclerosis, so these documents have sufficient detail in terms of MS treatment.
• Prepare for long-term care. The cost of care and assistance for a person with progressive multiple sclerosis can be quite high, especially as the disease advances. There is often in-home modification, in-home assistance, or placement in a residential facility needed. A special needs trust may be the best option for managing the finances of your loved one, while helping to assure eligibility for government assistance. If your loved one’s mental capacity decreases, the trustee will be able to manage the financial affairs of your loved one.
Although the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, coupled with special-needs planning, can feel overwhelming, consider following these suggestions and working with an experienced Florida elder law attorney who understands capacity to help ease the process. Special needs planning is not the end of the road. Rather, the purpose is to ease some of the burden for you and your loved one, by assuring his or her needs are met. Most importantly, there may be good days and bad days with multiple sclerosis, so try not to let yourself or your loved one be controlled by the diagnosis. Make plans and memories and keep enjoying life.
Our office is here to help you navigate the legal issues related to seeking and covering the cost of memory care. We encourage you to contact us and schedule a meeting with our attorneys.
