10 Ways To Ruin Your Retirement

Secrets To Happy Retirement

Free Webinar From Pennsylvania AARP

2010 Blizzard and the Ghosts of Winters Past

ELDER CARE, HEALTH CARE, AND CARING IN GENERAL

Elder Law, Elder Care, and a Little Bit of Everything

TIPS ON HEALTH CARE, ELDER CARE

Contest For Caregivers

KDKA's Jennifer Antkowiak's Cargiving Tips: Finding Peace

Finding Peace

In doing some research, I came across a study out of Duke University that was conducted with the purpose of trying to identify the qualities that best help us to acheive feelings of calm…comfort…peace of mind.

While reading the findings, caregiving situations and issues kept popping into my mind. I know from my own experiences, and through talking to other caregivers, it’s easy to fall victim to these kinds of mental/emotional traps.

The study found that the happiest, most “at peace” people:

1. Aren’t suspicious or resentful. Don’t hold grudges.

2. Live in the moment. Aren’t plagued with feelings of failure from past mistakes.

3. Don’t waste time trying to change things they don’t have the power to change.

4. Force themselves to stay social and connected during times of stress.

5. Don’t feed feelings of self-pity.

6. Don’t hold themselves to unrealistic standards.

7. Have strong faith in the idea that a force bigger than them is watching out for them., and stay connected through prayer.

The trick is realizing that these kind of feelings do in fact, trap us – hold us prisoner - blocking our chances of being able to appreciate the joyful moments in our days.

Try to keep these ideas in mind, and strive to recognize and control these feellings in yourself.

j.

Tips on Elder Care: Nursing Home Reform Act

Further, an individualized care plan is required for the patient. Assessments are conducted by the staff which should include your loved one's physician, family, as well as someone from social services, therapy, activities, and dietary. The plan should be easy to understand, specific and reflect the concerns, and habits of the patient. Plans are assessed quarterly or more often as needed to review or monitor the patient's progress in physical and mental health.

Be informed as to the Resident's Bill of Rights. The Nursing Home Reform Act addresses quality of life and care issues. It states that residents in a facility at a minimum should be provided care and service according to the Nursing Home Bill of Rights. Listed below are nineteen resident's rights. Should you experience a problem in a nursing home, a good place to start before contacting an elder law attorney is the the office of the Ombudsman, which was created for that main purpose.

The resident's rights are (1) Freedom to select a doctor in the facility, (2) Freedom from abuse including physical and chemical restraints, (3) Privacy when bathed, receiving treatment, and discussing care, (4) Confidential personal and clinical records, (5) Share grievances with treatment or care and receive a prompt resolution, (6) Ability to participate in groups, (7) Immediate access and visitation for the Ombudsman, Advocates for the disabled, a resident's individual physician or family members with resident's consent, (8) Nursing Homes must establish the same policies for service, transfer and discharge to all patients without considering whether they are private pay or subsidized, (9) Right of an incompetent resident to have a guardian act on his/her behalf, (10) As to Admissions, facilities may not: require patients to waive their rights to benefits under Medicare or Medicaid, state they will not apply for benefits, require third party guarantees of payments as a condition of admission, (remember the responsible party example?), and cannot solicit gifts to gain admission, (11) Know your transfer and discharge rights. (12) Receive orientation of the new facility, (13) Notice of bed hold, (14) Right to priority re- admission, (15) Right to notice if you are relocated within the facility, (16) Information concerning payment obligations at the time of admission, what their charges are in writing, (17) Right to inspect survey of the facility, (18 ) Hold Personal funds appropriately, and (19) the Right to be informed of their rights at time of admission.

The resident's rights are (1) Freedom to select a doctor in the facility, (2) Freedom from abuse including physical and chemical restraints, (3) Privacy when bathed, receiving treatment, and discussing care, (4) Confidential personal and clinical records, (5) Share grievances with treatment or care and receive a prompt resolution, (6) Ability to participate in groups, (7) Immediate access and visitation for the Ombudsman, Advocates for the disabled, a resident's individual physician or family members with resident's consent, (8) Nursing Homes must establish the same policies for service, transfer and discharge to all patients without considering whether they are private pay or subsidized, (9) Right of an incompetent resident to have a guardian act on his/her behalf, (10) As to Admissions, facilities may not: require patients to waive their rights to benefits under Medicare or Medicaid, state they will not apply for benefits, require third party guarantees of payments as a condition of admission, (remember the responsible party example?), and cannot solicit gifts to gain admission, (11) Know your transfer and discharge rights. (12) Receive orientation of the new facility, (13) Notice of bed hold, (14) Right to priority re- admission, (15) Right to notice if you are relocated within the facility, (16) Information concerning payment obligations at the time of admission, what their charges are in writing, (17) Right to inspect survey of the facility, (18 ) Hold Personal funds appropriately, (19) and the Right to be informed of their rights at time of admission.

It's a lot to digest. The point is to read your documents carefully. If there is something you do not understand, schedule a consultation with an elder law attorney.

Free Assistance Program for Seniors and Veterans

What's So Bad About Probate?

Probate is a court proceeding. 

Nobody (except attorneys who do so for a fee) likes going to court.

It takes time. 

When we have to probate an estate, we usually tell clients to expect the process to take about a year. 

You have no privacy. 

All the details of your will, your beneficiaries, your assets and expenses are public record for anyone, even a nebby neighbor, to do what they want.

It is expensive. 

In Pennsylvania, attorneys can charge a "reasonable fee" to go through probate.  On a typical estate this "reasonable fee" is usually 3 to 7% of your gross (not net) estate.

AAPR did a study about probate and called it a "cash cow" for attorneys.  The old attorney joke is how do you make a lot of money as an estate planning attorney?  You write a lot of wills and outlive your clients.  Why make an attorney a beneficiary" of your estate?  Learn how you can avoid probate, and preserve your assets for your loved ones. 

Long Term Care or Estate Planning? - Find an Elder Law Attorney

Have you considered a durable power of attorney?

Some people believe that if they have a will in place, they are all set as far as estate planning goes.  Unfortunately, if they become ill or otherwise incapacitated at the end of their life there could be problems if they don’t have a power of attorney.

If something happens in your life and you aren’t able to manage your personal affairs (for example, you are in a serious car accident or suffer from a sudden debilitating illness) somebody will need to make some very important decisions for you.

To protect yourself in case something unexpected happens, you should talk to your estate planning attorney about a durable power of attorney.

In fact, there are two kinds of durable powers of attorney (DPOA) that you should consider:

• Financial power of attorney: Also known as a durable power of attorney for finances, this document will allow somebody else to make financial decisions for you if you become incapacitated.  Without this kind of document, your spouse or other family member(s) may have to seek court approval to make decisions for you, adding unnecessary delays and expenses.
• Health care power of attorney: This document will give another person the authority to make health care decisions on your behalf.  This could become necessary if you unconscious, mentally incompetent, or otherwise unable to make decision for yourself.

Having these documents in place before something happens will not only help your family avoid intrusive and costly legal intervention into your affairs, but will also avoid family fights about what should happen with your finances or healthcare decisions when you aren’t able to speak for yourself.

New Estate Planning Radio Show on WJAS!!!

NEW VIDEOS!!!

Safety issues for elders