• Could a Clinical Trial Be the Right Choice for Your Loved One?

    Research on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is taking place all over the United States. There are two broad categories of research: pharmacological (drug) and non-pharmacological (non-drug). The goal of research is to discover a cure for the disease and to improve treatment options. There is also a focus on research that will help people with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias experience a better quality of life. Research that examines the impact of being a caregiver to a person with dementia, and how to reduce the stress of caregiving is also being conducted.

  • Journey to Life Care Planning – Steven Rubin

    By Steven Rubin, CELA

    When I was in law school, my mom was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). I spent hours doing the research needed to make sure she got the best care. This involved learning about estate planning, care-related issues, care management, and health insurance. The insurance issues were especially tricky because most ALS treatments were experimental in those days, as they are today. Medicare didn’t cover them, so I was always doing battle with insurance companies.

  • My Elder Care Story – Franklin Drazen

    By Franklin Drazen, CELA

    Many of the elder law attorneys I know took care of elderly relatives before becoming a lawyer. I was already an attorney when my elder care story started.

    I had an estate planning and business tax practice. I also led seminars. Some of the people who attended my seminars would come up to me afterwards and ask if I could help them with elder law issues. After enough people asked, I said yes. I was helping my clients with their elder care stories when mine started.

  • Finding Meaning in Elder Law

    By Kevin Pillon, CELA

    I’m an elder law attorney in a Life Care Planning Law Firm. I have the best job in the world.

    The first time I heard another elder law attorney make this claim was in 2012. I was brand new to Life Care Planning and was attending a seminar on the topic in Cleveland, Ohio. Tim Takacs, the elder law attorney who had created this philosophical approach to elder law, stood up in front of the group. “I have the best job in the world,” he announced. “I help people take care of their mom.”

  • Feeling Smug Because You Have an Estate Plan?

    Certified Elder Law Attorney Lisa Hostetler Brown knows that many people assume that estate planning is a once-and-done proposition. As the founder of LawyerLisa, a Life Care Planning Law Firm based in Lexington, South Carolina, Lisa sees people every day who are resting on their estate planning laurels. “These people find out the hard way that the documents they created at age 40 don’t necessarily work when you’re 70,” she said.

  • Add a Life Care Planning Law Firm to Your Dementia Caregiver Toolkit

    If you’re caring for an elderly loved one with dementia, you already know that it takes a special person and a unique set of skills to make life comfortable for a person living with the disease. When it comes to caring for your loved one without sacrificing your own well-being in the process, having the right systems and support in place can make all the difference. Many dementia caregivers create a “toolkit” of resources to make the journey easier.

  • She Got Her Will on the Internet - A Horror Story

    By Lisa Hostetler Brown, CELA

    You can have crappy estate planning documents you got off the internet and think you’re all set. It’s after you’re dead that the problems start. Litigation is the only solution.

    Right now, I'm tens of thousands of dollars into an estate litigation case that is a classic story of what can go wrong when you get documents online.

  • How to Shorten the Elder Care Crisis

    By Franklin Drazen, CELA

    Many people who call my office are in the midst of an elder care crisis, but they can’t see it.

    What is an elder care crisis? It’s what happens when the older adult has a problem that throws the family into chaos. It could be a medical event, a fall, an accident, a car wreck, or something else.

    For these families, the elder care crisis isn’t a special event. It’s an everyday occurrence.