Recent Blog Posts
Retired and Working: What Seniors are Doing to Supplement Retirement Income
Traditionally, retirees would move to Florida with a healthy retirement already planned and in place. This included the standard three-legged stool: Social Security, employer-sponsored retirement (pensions and 401K accounts), and individual savings. These three methods of accruing wealth and stability in old age offered seniors the ability to largely replace their income. Elder law… Read More »
Three Reasons why STDs are on the Rise in Nursing Homes
Research by AARP over the past five years has revealed that roughly 80 percent of all Americans between 50 and 90 are sexually active. And these numbers hold equally true in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Florida ranks among the top five states in the country for sexually transmitted diseases among older adults…. Read More »
What Happens if I Don’t Have a Will?
Lawyers often lament that so many seniors are resistant to discussing their estate plans. No one wants to talk about dying; it makes us face our mortality and ultimate fears like: Will I suffer? Will I be cared for? Will I be stuck in a nursing home? Will I be remembered? Will my children… Read More »
Will the Nursing Home Take My House?
Clients often wonder what will happen when and if they must go to a long-term skilled nursing facility. Fears may range from practical financial concerns, such as whether their retirement will be sufficient to cover the expense or whether they will become a financial burden on their children to more unspeakable fears like mistreatment… Read More »
Third Circuit Court of Appeals Approves “Half-a-Loaf” Annuity
According to a recent decision in Federal Court, the duration of a short-term annuity does not remove it from the safe-harbor provisions of Medicaid regulations. For those using the Medicaid plan often referred to as “half-a-loaf, this decision means that even if the annuity is established with payments over a very short duration, it… Read More »
What is Aid and Attendance and How can it Help?
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has some great programs to help elderly veterans, even beyond the typical assistance of other programs like Social Security and Medicare. However, there is a lot of misinformation on the internet, and sometimes clients will approach experienced elder law attorneys in The Villages, asking about applying for… Read More »
Alabama Supreme Court Upholds Nursing Home Arbitration Agreement Preventing Lawsuit for Injuries
When admitting a loved one to a long-term care facility, contracts must be signed. In those contracts are little-known and little-understood clauses called “arbitration agreements.” These clauses state that if there is any dispute between a resident and his family, the parties must use a third-party arbitrator instead of going to court. In short,… Read More »
Creating Advance Directives that Honor Your Religious Wishes
According to the Pew Research Center, Americans are largely devout in their religious beliefs. Specifically, the Center found that: “Two-thirds of the public agrees with [the following statements]: (1) prayer is an important part of their daily life; (2) we will all be called before God at the Judgment Day; and (3) they never… Read More »
Con Artist Caught in The Villages – Three Rules to Avoiding Elder Exploitation Scams
Just last month, a local man was arrested by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. According to The Villages-News, the man had a long history of scamming elderly residents. It seems there were 18 complaints filed against the man, Robert Wayne Williams. He pulled off his scams by posing as a reputable tree service provider… Read More »
The Scoop on Spousal Impoverishment
No one wants to be impoverished. But when it comes to Medicaid planning, being impoverished actually provides benefits. Most seniors contemplating admission to a Florida nursing home may have been alerted of this strange fact. But what exactly does impoverished mean in this context? Medicaid rules are difficult to follow, and, as such, we… Read More »
