What to Do After a Loved One Passes
The loss of a loved one may be the most traumatic event you will ever experience. Even if your loved one’s passing had been expected, the reality of the moment often hits hard. You will need some time to reflect on your loss and to make arrangements for your loved one’s...
Ten Tips to Fight Off Dementia
Dementia is a dreaded disease that science has yet to find a cure and can affect people as early as their 50s, though most sufferers are over 65 when symptoms first appear. Dementia includes Alzheimer’s Disease, which accounts for 50% to 80% of all dementia cases, or any other condition where...
Top Ten Things You Need to Know Before Moving Into a Nursing Home
Transitioning from home to a nursing home or facility can be traumatic. Your loved one is entering the last phase of his or her life and the move means relinquishing a certain degree of privacy, individual decision-making, and freedom. Coming to this decision is often an uneasy one, since your parent...
Do You Need a Care Committee?
Part of sensible estate planning is having an advance health care directive that contains living will language, and a durable power of attorney for financial decisions, all targeted at making your wishes known for how you want your medical care and other affairs to be handled.
However,...
What You Need to Know About Attorney in Fact
If you have been asked to serve as someone’s attorney-in-fact, before accepting the responsibility to act, you should be aware of your responsibilities and duties to that individual.
Generally, an attorney-in-fact is a relative or trusted associate with whom the principal, or person who appoints such individual,...
Preparing For Aging Alone
“Elder orphans” may be a new term that has entered the American lexicon. It refers to those persons who are 65 years of age or older who have no adult children or spouse, or even other close relatives, and are now facing new and unexpected challenges in their lives. When the...
Top 5 Reasons to Use a Lawyer for MassHealth
Medicaid is called “MassHealth” in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While it is a federal program, each state administers it and passes its own administrative rules and regulations to assist in the administration of the federal benefit program. Massachusetts sponsors this medical assistance benefit program for state residents that can be utilized...
Insurance and Estate Planning
Estate planning is for everyone, no matter what assets you own, or the size of your family. Basic estate plans include a will, payable-on-death accounts (POD), IRAs, and other retirement plans that include beneficiaries. Some people may also include a trust, depending on whether it is beneficial or financially expedient to...
Estate Planning for Nursing Home Residents
If you or a loved one are planning on moving to a nursing home residence soon, you should be aware of the MassHealth requirements if you are unable to private pay for the cost. Nursing home care is expensive with yearly costs of $90,000.00 and more. Many low-income individuals will need...
What You Need to Know About Power of Attorneys in Massachusetts
A Power of Attorney [POA] in Massachusetts, as in other states, is the grant of power to an individual to make the decisions you ordinarily would make in matters of financial, and business. It is an essential part of an estate plan, especially if you have business interests at stake or financial assets....