I recently saw two advertisements from companies trying to help people “stop Medicaid from taking your retirement.” The ads paint a frightening picture and offer advice on how to avoid trouble. Typically, when you read between the lines of these advertisements, you see they’re usually advising you to take one or two strategies: develop some kind of trust, or invest…
We meet the lifetime legal needs of children and adults with disabilities, the elderly, and their families.
Older Adults
Embracing Death
If you are like me, you may not like thinking or even talking about dying, especially if it’s about you or a loved one. I frequently see the same discomfort in my clients’ faces when we discuss the subject. Discomfort and denial help many of us avoid the topic. Yet death can’t be avoided – at least not yet… A…
Protecting People with Disabilities from Exploitation
Although I am a special needs and elder law attorney by trade, I also volunteer in my community in the fight against human trafficking. Human trafficking is when a victim is forced, tricked, or coerced into labor or sex work by someone who is exploiting them. I have been involved in this work since 2009 and am now known as…
Beware Before You Sign – Avoiding the Trips and Traps of a Long Term Care Admission Agreement
Lately, I’ve seen several clients who have come to us too late. They were presented with an admission agreement for a nursing home or other care facility and were told that the agreement needed to be signed “right away.” This can be an expensive mistake. Usually, you are given the admission papers in the midst of a crisis. Many times,…
SSI Mobile Wage Reporting App
The Social Security Administration now offers a free Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Mobile Wage Reporting Application. This convenient new tool allows recipients, their representative payee, or an individual whose income helps them meet their basic needs (like a parent or a spouse) to report wages using a smartphone. SSI is a needs-based program so the amount that recipients receive is…
Dementia Self-Assessment
Researchers at Ohio State University developed a self-assessment test to detect signs of dementia that could help family members and physicians catch symptoms in the early stages of the disease. This type of assessment could allow families to begin planning for health care expenses so they can manage finances while the affected individual is still capable of discussing money matters.…