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"Families with substantial debts may be concerned their loved ones will be left with their debts after they have gone."

When illness, disability or the frailties of aging strike, even the most independent individuals may feel vulnerable when faced with navigating a complex health care system.

“You’re out of the Will!” is something someone might shout at a family member who they feel has wronged them in some way.

"One of the most interesting things about the internet is that we are using the latest technology to teach ourselves the skills our grandparents and great grandparents knew."

"Because Diane and Jack do not have millions of dollars, however, the long-term care plan conflicts with the remarriage plan."

"The common advice on steps to take when entering a second marriage did not work for Jack and Diane. They had no plan for declining health and long-term care."

Two out of every three people will need a higher level of care in the later years of life. The nursing home is often the only safe and appropriate way to support a family member. 

"The circumstances in which a reverse mortgage is a good financial decision are limited. Outside of those circumstances, a reverse mortgage could be pretty risky."

"If a sharp decline in health comes on suddenly, it may do more to preserve your dignity if there is someone in a position to be your advocate."

"When life has purpose, hope provides the motivation to act in ways that are beneficial for our health and longevity."

The opportunity to live a long life is a gift. News stories about children, teenagers and younger adults whose lives are cut short by accident…

DHS is generally happy to accept that payment for caregiver services provided by a family member is an appropriate use of the older person’s funds. It must be properly documented. 

"When it comes to the government’s role in our health care system, playing favorites is especially appalling. People’s lives are on the line."

In our two most recent columns, attorney Kelly Appleyard presented a case study that outlined planning tools that help families navigate some …

"We continue Bob and Cheryl’s journey, and the rest of the tools for their success in long-term care planning."

"There are a number of complex legal and financial issues that arise as you get older and need more care ... any misstep could be very costly."

"In order to enjoy the financial and social benefits of this arrangement, successful multigenerational households must learn to address real and potential complications."

"Multigenerational living is more likely to occur in the western part of the country and nationwide in metropolitan areas, and the least likely in the Midwest and rural areas."

"When older adults are hospitalized, one of the worst things they are likely to receive is too much rest."

"In reality, there are many types of trusts, and many of them are best suited to help people who are not extraordinarily wealthy."

"Estate planning has historically posed a significant challenge for same-sex couples. The availability of marriage, in particular, has had a major impact."

"A very important part of estate planning, probably the most important part, is planning for what happens to you while you are still alive."

Over the past several years in Pennsylvania, self neglect has required involvement by Adult Protective Services more often than any other type of elder abuse.

"It may surprise some people that the majority of substantiated cases of elder abuse in each of the last three years were for actions of self-neglect (38-43 percent)."

"The filial responsibility law would allow the nursing home to sue one or all of the adult children and let the children figure out how to come up with the money."

"Close friendships provide us with stability and security."

Driver’s licenses are intimately tied to issues of independence and safety that are of concern to aging individuals and their families.

When planning our estates and thinking about how to pass our property to our loved ones, most of us think of preparing a will.

"There is no magic age when a person is old enough to need services that fall under the umbrella of elder law."

"In three states (Washington, Colorado and Oregon), human composting, also known as natural organic reduction, is legal."

Climate change is in the news almost daily. When looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, people have turned to composting, reusable…

Home funerals are an end-of-life choice that has been around for a very long time, however, the growth of the funeral home industry has pushed them into the background.

"Only 20% of people die in their homes. Acute care hospitals are the location of death for 60% of the population while nursing homes account for the remaining 20%."

"Social elements also exist that influence nutritional health and the likelihood of maintaining independence while aging."

"Adequate nutrition, as an element of good health, increases the chances that older adults will be able to maintain their independence, which is a common desire for members of this population."

"Many factors can influence the nutrition status of older adults including changes to how well we absorb and break down foods."

Fear and isolation may have made people more vulnerable to scams and con-artists, leading to a “scam”-demic accompanying the global pandemic.

When thinking about who we want to provide for after we pass on, many of us think of the youngest and most vulnerable members of our families.…

"Information and resources are essential for making decisions and locating the goods/services we need and desire to live our best lives."

"Feb. 14 is also National Organ Donor Day, to remind you that there is more than one way to give someone your heart."

The 24th Winter Olympic Games began today. For the next couple of weeks, both sports fans and even those who don’t routinely watch sporting ev…

"Stress in the later years of life stems from adjusting to retirement, caregiving for a loved one, receiving a troubling medical diagnosis, or losing a spouse or lifelong friends."

"Enough people have cared for a loved one with cancer or neurological conditions that a common question comes up about a person’s ability to take control over how the person dies."

"A thorough life book will give your family every detail they need to make sure your bills get paid and your property is maintained when you are gravely ill."

"An option to provide better protection for your pet is a pet trust. Pet trusts have been recognized in all 50 states as a lawful way to provide for your pet’s needs."

New Year’s Eve is a joyous time. Champagne corks pop as the ball drops in Time Square! The legendary Dick Clark’s name is memorialized by tele…

Underlying all of the material trappings of the holiday season is a focus on hope, peace, and togetherness.

"There are ways to help your loved one participate in holiday activities while minimizing associated stress."

"When you are putting together your estate plans, you should be aware that what you leave behind to your loved ones will include tax consequences."

Benjamin Franklin said "nothing is certain except death and taxes." Unfortunately, these are not mutually exclusive.

Many aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic have created controversy, and nursing home visitation rules have been no exception.

"Family caregiving will become more common. Consider whether your family is prepared for the legal and financial aspects of providing care."

National Family Caregivers Month is an excellent time to recognize the contributions of family caregivers, offer them support and educate society about the unique challenges faced by these caregivers.

National Family Caregivers Month, celebrated annually every November since 1997, is an opportunity to recognize and express appreciation to fa…

"Around the holiday dinner table we see the faces of people who carried us during difficult times and the people we supported along the way."

"Every now and then, we see a family in our office that is a bit like the family of the guy who did not replace his dry-rotted tires."

"Introspection is an important first step. The parent’s words and actions during an attempt to reestablish contact will be key to the child’s potential acceptance of an olive branch."

"An understanding of this growing social phenomenon is important as our population ages and families struggle with rifts in their relationships."

From Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, Medicare recipients are able to change from Original Medicare (administered by the federal government) to a Medic…

"Medicare has protections in place to make sure that your OOP costs don’t get out of hand. They’re in the form of a little category in your plan called MOOP."

"People who own savings bonds often ask about how the bonds affect income taxes, the administration of their estate, and public benefits for long-term care."

Whether they’re concerned with affording retirement or love their job, Americans are working later in life. In fact, the percentage of older a…

The power of words is the bread and butter of professionals who work in fields such as marketing or translation. Would you rather purchase a h…

"While a sense of discomfort about death may prevent some people from considering funeral pre-planning, concerns about the cost may be a deterrent to others."

"Pre-planning allows for decisions to be made without the stress of grief and with plenty of time to consider choices."

The latest installment of an elder care journey looks at finances and payments ahead of a parent's death.

"Reading about Bill and Sue’s experiences gives good insight about not only the challenges that regularly occur along an elder care journey, but also what little-known tools and opportunities are sometimes available."

Initiating a conversation with an older driver about his/her driving safety can create feelings of dread for family members.

According to AAA, a typical driver makes 20 decisions per mile and has less than half of a second to respond to changes in the road.

"Age alone cannot be used to determine one’s fitness to drive, since the ability to drive safely is dependent upon cognitive and physical skills, which vary greatly among older adults."

Is it time to step in and take a more active role in your parents’ daily lives?

"There is something like fast food when it comes to legal planning for yourself and your family. There are shortcuts that are convenient but come with undesirable consequences."

This week's column contains a summary of residential care options.

When it comes to care at home, services for individuals living at home differ in scope and cost.

The National Council on Aging estimates that 1 out of every 10 Americans aged 60 or over has experienced some type of abuse.

"The abuse and neglect of older adults and adults with disabilities are complex topics that have been gaining increasing awareness, especially since the 1970s."

"Often I get this question: 'When is the right time to ..?"

"If accumulating money is not a child’s primary point of focus, a parent who is concerned about future management of family wealth should plan accordingly without necessarily casting a negative judgment on that child."

"The travel industry is optimistic that vaxications will lead to the recovery of their industry as business and conference travel continues to lag."

"If Elder Law Month doesn’t sound relevant or interesting to you, consider a statistic from Genworth that seven out of 10 people will need long-term care services at some point during their lifetime."

"As we turn the calendar to May and highlight 'Older Americans Month,' older adults in our society continue to battle the stigma of ageism."

"Before you decide to put your home in an irrevocable trust, it is important to have a basic understanding of what you are doing and why."

"After a year in which the news constantly focused on certain health care decisions, some may wonder whether it’s necessary to recognize National Health Care Decisions Day on April 16."

"Given the encouraging data from vaccinated people, and the threat from COVID variants, it is a good time to get off the fence and get vaccinated."

"For many families during economically challenging times, the lines between ownership of parents’ and their children’s resources become blurred."

"Many families call us when a parent experiences a crisis and can no longer safely reside in the family home. For various reasons, these adult children are often unaware of their parents’ financial resources."

"SSI is sometimes confused with the benefit we will cover today, which is Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI."

"The government provides a couple of different income benefits for children and adults who are disabled. These benefits are available through the Social Security Administration (SSA)."

It has been a year since the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania were announced by Gov. Tom Wolf. This led to his order to c…

"What would happen to your pets if you suddenly became unable to care for them, or even make decisions about their care?"

"The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 50 percent of U.S. households have at least one dog and 34 percent have at least one cat."

"Despite a general understanding about the purposes of a will many adults have not completed this basic form of planning."

"The real irony in all of this is that the most effective way to be a wise control freak is to plan ahead and create foundational legal documents before a crisis occurs."

"Perhaps the greatest mistaken fear that we hear is that 'they' will take the home of a person who qualifies for Medicaid to pay for nursing care."

"As grandparents think about their legacy and the ways they can show love and support even after their own lives end, it is important to consider the pros and cons of legal arrangements to give gifts to grandchildren."

"Hope for your future involves having a vision, feeling empowered to reach the vision, and actively pursuing the vision."

How you approach this fresh start can make a significant difference in the course of the year ahead, and every year after that.

"Whether you have 10 years or 30 years remaining, here are things you should make it a point to do in 2021, especially if you have not done so recently."

"As with Santa’s sleigh of presents, there is no limit to the source from which gifts of love, hope and faith are supplied to be given freely."

"Holiday festivities may intensify feelings of sadness and loneliness, especially if this is the first year without a beloved family member or friend."

"When one spouse realizes that the other is in a state of decline, there are a few first steps that should be considered."

"Many people suffer from mental health conditions throughout the year. As people age, the detection and treatment of mental health conditions becomes more complicated."

This year has provided all of us with a greater appreciation for the presence of loved ones in our lives, familiar routines and financial stability. These aspects may regularly require adjustment for family caregivers.

"It is critical that parents and grandparents give careful thought to any gift of money or bequest in an estate plan when the recipient has special needs. For many disabled loved ones, public benefits will be disrupted by a direct gift of money."

Cognitive impairment, whether the result of dementia, stroke or a traumatic brain injury, complicates the grief process in several ways.

"The responses and overall effects of these losses vary from individual to individual, however a common denominator in all situations of loss is grief."

This week’s article will explain why the best option for the family home is usually to sell it soon after it has become empty because the parent is receiving long-term care in a skilled nursing home. 

This week, we will explore options for when the parents want multiple children to benefit from the family home.

This is the first of a three-part series to review options of how to transfer the family home from one generation to the next.

Rest is often an elusive concept for caregivers.

Over the last two decades, persons over the age of 65 have demonstrated by far the greatest rate of participation in voting among all voter ag…

In some ways I feel like Yogi Berra, the quotable Yankee catcher and Hall-of-Famer, having “deja vu all over again” as I begin this re-introdu…

This week the Pennsylvania Department of Aging released a study of financial exploitation of older adults.

The first time I seriously thought about donating my body to science after death was when my parents finalized their estate plans and appointe…

Over the years, our firm’s interactions with older adults indicate that the majority would prefer to remain in their own home, even though they may not fully understand the implications of "aging in place."

Deciding what to do with the remains of a loved one can be a touchy subject, especially if the deceased’s only stated preference was to say “n…

"Before we prepare the foundational documents, I ask our clients this: 'If you get the care you need, and it is clear that there could be money left over, do you want that money to go to a nursing home, the government or your children?'

This month we are celebrating 100 years of women’s suffrage. It took almost 100 years of struggle until women finally obtained the right to vo…

"I recommend 'Social Security Basics' by Devin Carroll. Written clearly in a well-organized layout of less than 100 pages of '9 Essentials That Everyone Should Know,' I wish my wife and I had read it before making a claim for her Social Security benefit."

As a child, before video games and central air conditioning, I would sometimes complain to my mother: “There’s nothing to do!” Since in any se…

COVID-19 caught many of us by surprise ivn March. Who honestly imagined that COVID-19 restrictions would remain in effect for more than four months?

"Viewing grief and mourning as a problem diminishes the value of this natural process, which helps us adapt to the pain of loss."

"While few in the United States would question the value of the ability to chart one’s own course in life, self-determination must also recognize that people may make decisions that do not appear to be in their own best interests."

How far may individual expectations of confidentiality be compromised to enable public health authorities to track those who have been exposed to COVID-19?

No one who uses credit cards, has a Social Security number or shares information on social media is entirely immune from scammers or identity …

"Society has minimally invested to protect the lives of older people in nursing homes; and families are denied access to visit nursing home residents who await their certain death."

"They have not allowed a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease to dampen their enthusiasm for life."

"They have not allowed a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease to dampen their enthusiasm for life."

If you want to experience the journey from the beginning, you may read the first four parts of the story here: https://keystoneelderlaw.com/el…

"The lawyer explained that, generally, gifts between parents and children would violate the Medicaid rules and could result in financial hardship for the family."

"Bill was curious why Regal would not have told him about the ability to obtain Medicaid, but instead told him that he would need to pay $375 per day for care."

"If either Bill or Sue would die while the other spouse was in a long-term care facility, their present wills would expose their life savings to the cost of care for the surviving spouse, and no funds would remain for their children."

For the next five weeks, this column will tell the story of how an array of our elder care law services helped one family over four years.

The death of a loved one comes with grief that is compounded by the stress of end-stage medical decisions and planning a funeral.

Are you one of the 92% of Americans who believe that discussions regarding end-of-life issues are important?

During Monday evening’s daily COVID-19 briefing, Vice President Mike Pence said that “this will be a week of heartache and hope.” By the grace…

The reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) was quietly signed into law by President Donald Trump last week.

I heard a news story on the radio recently about an emergency room doctor who woke up in a cold sweat thinking about how long it had been sinc…

Having a parent or other loved one in a nursing home or personal care facility can stir up many difficult emotions.

I realized that instead of critiquing the response of our political leaders or judging what other organizations could and should do, it is now time for our organization to take decisive steps. 

Trusts are commonly misunderstood, especially when it comes to protection from creditors.

Older adults are prime targets for fraud and scams for a variety of reasons. For example, they may be lonely and more willing to speak with st…

Valentine’s Day is now in our rear view mirror, but expressions of love are continually evident in the lives of family caregivers of older adults.

Aging, although often defined by stereotypes, has an individual look and feel for every person. The changing demographics of American society …

The Democratic candidates for president in 2020 have presented various suggestions for improving Medicare policy. Here’s where they stand.

The beginning of state primaries/caucuses kicks off in Iowa on Monday. As the Democratic candidates continue to tout their agendas and seek vo…

You have known for a while that every responsible adult should have an estate plan. Determined not to leave your family with burdensome court …

When you were in elementary school, did you groan in despair when the teacher gave an assignment to write a report? Perhaps a specific topic w…

Aging care in the community for those who require some assistance with everyday tasks is available through a number of different venues. The t…

New Year’s Day is a natural time to reflect upon our lives, to revise previous goals and to establish new ones. We remember our experiences an…