If someone you love needs nursing home care, brace yourself for sticker shock. Depending on where you live, the monthly cost can be $8,000 or more—often much more. In some parts of the country nursing home care can cost upwards of $15,000 per month.
Medicaid Planning Mistakes – Part 3
What are the most common mistakes people make when attempting to qualify an elderly loved one for Medicaid? Matthew Bravette has seen it all. As one of the attorneys at Bratton Law Group, a Life Care Planning Law Firm with offices in the Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia areas. Matthew has helped thousands of clients navigate the complicated and confusing Medicaid application process, and he has seen more than his share of mistakes.
One of the biggest involves believing the rumors you hear from friends, family, and neighbors.
My Mother Found a Prince (and Other Unlikely-to-be-Real Scams)
By Pati Bedwell
We’ve all heard about the Nigerian prince scam. It’s been around for a while, so long that most older adults have heard about it. Many are certain that they would never fall victim to something so obvious. These are famous last words for many, who may not have fallen for the Nigerian prince, but for the same scam wearing different clothes
When Your Elderly Parents Become Incapacitated
Just bringing up the possibility of someone in your family becoming mentally or physically incapacitated is often difficult. We tend to think of only the very elderly needing long-term, hands-on care, but a 2022 report by the Alzheimer’s Association found that one in nine Americans age 65 or older currently have Alzheimer’s. With the baby boom generation aging and people living longer, that number may nearly triple by 2050.
Applying for Medicaid: The Paralegal’s Perspective
Life Care Planning Law Firms help families with every aspect of an aging loved one’s care, including the process of finding ways to pay for long-term care. When families need to access Medicaid benefits, attorneys oversee the process, but they are supported by other staff members, including paralegals.
What Can an Elder Care Coordinator Do for You?
When families visit a Life Care Planning Law Firm, they’re often surprised to learn that the staff includes non-legal professionals. One of the most important non-legal roles belongs to elder care coordinators, the compassionate professionals who serve as a family’s guide during the long-term care journey.
Underwear and Passwords Have Something in Common
Almost anything you do online these days requires a password. Eric Griffin, who wrote for PC Mag online said, "Passwords are like underwear. You should change them often.”
This is a vitally important message for older adults. More than 75% of people aged 65 and older are now online, which creates more opportunities for hackers to access personal accounts. To keep online accounts secure, follow these tips from the Better Business Bureau (BBB):
Respite Care is Not a Frill
What is respite care?
Let’s start with a definition of the word “respite.” According to the Oxford Dictionary, a respite is a short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.
Preparing for Life as a Solo Ager
By Mary Jo Johnson, MPA, CMC, CDP, CADDCT
I want to talk about a topic that’s getting more attention these days: solo agers.
Solo agers are people who are growing older without the support of family. According to the demographers, solo agers have the following things in common:
- They are age 50 and up.
- They are unmarried.
- They live alone, and don’t have a significant other.
- There are no siblings, children, or extended family in the picture.
Solo agers are, quite literally, aging alone.
Medicaid Planning Mistakes – Part 2
If you want to delay a loved one’s application for Medicaid benefits to pay for nursing home care, there are plenty of ways to do it. This article, the second in a multi-part series, explains two more ways people mess things up.
What are the most common mistakes people make when attempting to qualify an elderly loved one for Medicaid? We posed this question to Matthew Bravette, one of the attorneys at Bratton Law Group, a Life Care Planning Law Firm with offices in the Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia areas.