This Sunday is National Grandparents Day! Grandparents and elders play a crucial role in molding and ensuring a promising future for the upcoming generations, and we’d like to take a moment to recognize the ways they nurture, develop, and shape our lives. [Read more…]
Elderly Loved One Moving In? How to Make Your Home Accessible
According to agingoptions.com, the number of aging parents living with adult family members is rising dramatically, with between five and six million elderly adults currently living in a household headed by their adult child. This is a 67 percent increase since 2007. While such a living arrangement is often due to economic considerations, others simply have a strong desire to care for those who cared for them. There are many issues to consider when an elderly loved one moves in; one of those issues is making your home accessible. While the specific upgrades you undertake will depend on the health and needs of your loved one, some of the top home renovation suggestions for seniors include:
Choosing the Right In-Home Caregiver For You
According to an AARP survey, about 90 percent of American seniors want to live in their own homes as long as possible. Known as “aging in place,” it’s no surprise that most seniors would much prefer living in their own homes as opposed to facility care. Unfortunately, physical or cognitive issues can often make this a difficult option.
Family members who fully understand the benefits associated with aging in place—a sense of independence, better health outcomes, and the comfort that only “home” can provide—may consider an in-home caregiver for their elderly loved one.
Your loved one might benefit from an in-home caregiver for medical needs as well as with assistance in light housekeeping, routine errands, and other daily living activities. Once you have made the decision to hire a caregiver, it is important that you understand how to choose the best in-home caregiver for your elderly loved one. [Read more…]
Can Someone Become My Guardian Without My Knowing It?
The concept of guardianship for a senior is a difficult thing to consider. Maintaining your independence and remaining in charge of your own life would be at risk if someone wanted to become your legal guardian, says nj.com, “Worried someone may want to be your guardian? Here’s what you need to know.”
Let’s start by understanding what guardianship is, and how it works.
Planning for Family
The holidays and spending time with family typically go hand-in-hand. With that in mind and the holidays quickly approaching, our focus for the upcoming month is about how you can take care of your family through estate planning.
As your family grows and changes, so should your estate plan. The estate planning needs of a young family with small children are different than those for families with aging parents and adult children. Each family is unique and should have a comprehensive estate plan to account for that family’s needs and wishes. [Read more…]
The Role of an Elder Law Attorney
When a sudden need for nursing home care occurs, couples are often faced with a dizzying array of things they have to do, rapidly mounting costs and fear. Options are limited and the first thought is to sell the family home and use the proceeds to pay the nursing home. Instead, the couple or the spouse who is not disabled needs to sit down with an elder law attorney to find out what can be done.
In its recent article, “Seniors have more options than selling their home,” The Boston Globe says that an experienced elder law attorney can be the key to protecting your family’s health and financial well-being. This includes such assets as the family home. An elder law attorney can show the senior couple that they have options—in most cases, they don’t have to sell their home to pay for emergency long-term care.
Top Ten List: Best States to Retire
It’s fun to look at this top ten list from Kiplinger, which examines all 50 states and considers the most important factors for retirees. In “10 Best States for Retirement,”economics and the health of the state’s population are the leading indicators. These top ten are good starting points for a conversation about where you’ll want to live during your retirement years. If you have family—especially grandkids—in any of these states, you might want to seriously consider a move. [Read more…]
Survivorship Life Insurance as a Helpful Estate Planning Tool
In “Survivorship Life Insurance Useful for Estate Planning,” Insurance News explores how this kind of policy works in an estate plan to benefit heirs or to help make a charitable donation. As the name implies, proceeds are not paid until the last survivor passes—typically a surviving spouse.
This is a real advantage for lower pricing. In many marriages, another benefit to consider is the benefit to a female spouse. Statistically, women tend to outlive men and this fact is reflected in lower premiums, meaning you could buy twice as much face amount in a survivorship policy as you could in an individual policy for the same amount of money. [Read more…]