When your aging parent or other loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other disorders that affect memory, your time for estate planning, if it has not already begun, is limited. Once the memory is significantly affected, estate planning becomes a much more complicated and expensive matter to handle. So what should you look for [...]
When you request a DNR order, your physician must enter the order into your chart, transfer your care to another physician or refer the matter to a mediation system in the hospital or nursing home. Disputes most commonly arise when the patient’s family and medical providers do not see eye to eye, or when the [...]
We have discussed what a DNR is, now let’s look at some facts about DNR Orders that you should know, in order to make an educated decision, and ultimately the right decision, for you or your loved one. Who Can Request a DNR Order? Any patient over the age of 18 may request a DNR [...]
Another advanced directive that is completed when a power of attorney for healthcare is established is a DNR order. DNR stands for Do Not Resuscitate, meaning that should your vital functions such as heartbeat and respiration cease, you do not wish for medical professionals to administer life saving techniques. Without a DNR order, healthcare professionals [...]
Let’s be honest, no one wants to ever think about the end of life process, especially when it pertains to an aging parent or loved one. We want to think about the end of life process even less in regards to ourselves. The reality of the situation is that it is selfish to not think [...]
Conservatorship is designated by the probate court, and allows one party the power to make financial decisions for another party. While it may sound like a guardianship arrangement, the big difference is that the courts will not require a medical examination to occur in order for the judge to determine if the protectee has the [...]
There are enough acronyms in regards to Social Security to confuse the best of us. It’s pretty easy to understand why so many people get a dazed and confused expression when you start discussing SSI, SSDI, Social Security retirement benefits, etc. The confusion between Medicaid and Medicare is similar, and equally understandable. SSI stands for [...]
A recent study led by Paul O’Toole, Ph.D., of the Alimentary Pharmabioyic Centre at the University College Cork in Ireland shows that gut bacteria may impact long-term care facilities menu planning. The goal of the research was to find out how differences in microbiota, or gut bacteria, affect aging seniors. 178 elderly patients were studied, [...]
A recent report by The National Consumer Law Center shows an alarming trend happening across the United States: the elderly losing their homes because of back owed taxes. At a first glance, that may not be too alarming, but when you consider that some are losing their homes over just a couple hundred owed in [...]
There are no precise numbers in regards to elder abuse in the United States. Largely, this is due to a lack of uniform reporting system from state-to-state. Making collecting data even more difficult is the sheer number of cases that go unreported each year. Unreliable as the statistics may be, they are anything but staggering. [...]