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.
Read MoreFearing Loss of Control is One Reason People Try to Hide Alzheimer’s
It was at least three years after his diagnosis that comedic actor Gene Wilder revealed he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This isn’t unusual, according to experts discussing his situation in the Investment News article, “Hiding Alzheimer’s, like Gene Wilder did, is natural, so prepare for it with all clients.” Wilder, star of Blazing Saddles, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and many other classic comedies, died at age 83 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He wanted to leave his audiences laughing, rather than being sad that he was suffering from this dreaded disease.
Elder Law: What is it?
The month of May is Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and in honor of that, we’ll be focusing our posts on elder law. What does elder law include? Well, it’s not just elder abuse. More often, elder law covers protecting the home and other assets from nursing home expenses, long-term care planning concerns and other issues that arise as people age. Mostly, elder law concerns making sure people get the care they need as they age and that both they and their assets are protected.
