Elder Law Attorneys Specialize in Helping the Elderly

Many elderly persons rely entirely on their children, family members or other trusted individuals to help them.  This dependence upon caregivers or family members makes an older person more vulnerable to abuse and financial exploitation.  Legal arrangements and protective actions by family may be necessary to shield loved ones from making bad decisions or from being taken advantage of.

Same People, Same Service, NEW NAME!

Beginning October 1, 2012 The Law Office of Dawn M. Weekly, PC will become LEGACY LAW FIRM, LLC.  There will be no change to the firm, other than the name.  All the same people are here:  Dawn M. Weekly, our principal attorney; Allen Dotson, the Business Manager; Jori Contrino, our Certified Elder Care Coordinator; Amanda Strong, our Benefits Coordinator and Steve Weekly, our Client Services Coordinator.  Our firm focuses on Life Care Planning, a holistic approach to elder law and long-term care planning, that incorporate a care component, provided by a Care Coordinator, to a legal and financial plan for long-term care.

Since the focus of the practice is to help elders leave a Legacy for their family, rather than having their estate systematically depleted to pay for long-term care, we decided to change the name of the firm to Legacy Law Firm, LLC to emphasize the goal of the firm.

LEGACY LAW FIRM, LLC:  helping your family build a legacy to last from one generation to the next.

How To Talk To Your Elderly Parents About In-Home Care

The fear of losing independence seems to be one of the top concerns for the elderly. It’s hard to accept the fact that they need help performing simple tasks they have been able to do the majority of their lives. When their children or family tries to suggest in-home care, a whole host of emotions can surface and usually results in an awkward or even heated situation.

If in-home care is a necessity for your elderly family member, there are ways to avoid an argument. Below is advice on how to bring up the topic of in-home care with elderly family members. Hopefully these tips will help you and your family to painlessly resolve the touchy subject.

Contrino Recieves Elder Care Coordination Certification

We are proud to announce that a member of our staff, Jori Contrino, recently completed the Elder Care Coordination (ECC) certification program. The certificate is offered by the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association (LCPLFA) in collaboration with The Stockton Center on Successful Aging at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

The ECC learning program will be beneficial to Jori because it will provide her with the tools and support needed to enhance the quality of life of our elder care clients. The certification supplies her with a solid foundation in the legal theories behind life care planning and community caregiving, provides knowledge on the aging process, and gives her skills in proper/appropriate treatment and referrals. The course will enhance our ability to help clients and families identify care problems and assist in solving them.

How To Choose Home Care Services That Meet Your Needs

Making the decision to hire a service to provide in-home care for your loved one is an important decision that can be very difficult. If an illness or recovery from surgery requires nursing care or physical therapy, a doctor may order home care services. In that case, your decision is based on the medical needs prescribed by the doctor. But what if the family caregiver has to determine the extent of care needed without the help of a doctor?

Hospitalization May Be Bad For Alzheimer Patients

A few months ago we wrote about the impact hospitals have on seniors in general.  We referred to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which found at least one-third of  patients older than 70, leave the hospital more frail than when they arrived, and many become too weak to go home.  Last week, a similar story ran in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

This latest study showed the effects of hospitalization on patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease was even greater than the general senior population.  The article concluded the patient’s risk for an adverse outcome is greatly increased after a stay in the hospital.  In fact, the risk is three times greater for the over 5 million Americans with the disease than for those without it.  These facts are particularly frightening when you consider the number of people with Alzheimer’s is projected to rise to 15 million in the next 30 to 40 years.

Why Adult Day Care?

Weekly Law Blog
Since the downturn of the economy, costs for health care have been on the rise.  According to a 2011 market survey of long-term care costs, the national average daily rate for a private room in a nursing home rose last year from $229 in 2010 to $239 in 2011.  Similarly, the national average monthly base rate in an assisted living community rose from $3,293 in 2010 to $3,477 in 2011.
These rising costs are frightening to many young caregivers who are trying to find the best way to care for their loved one.  If your loved one is suffering from dementia or other chronic diseases such as chronic hypertension, physical disability, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental illness and developmental disability, you may want to look into an adult day care program.

Selling The Family Home In A Down Market

When living at home becomes a danger for your parent, deciding where your loved one should move is heart wrenching.  Unfortunately, that is only half the battle because once the parent moves, then family is faced with another hefty decision of what to do with the vacated home.  It can be tough because many times the home in question has been in the family for many years and there is likely sentimental attachments for the parent as well as the children.  Now add on the extra burden of having to sell a home in a down market and the decision just gets more complicated.

Is There A Way To Make End Of Life Care Better?

Anyone who has had the painful experience of caring for a loved one at the end of their life knows it is hard to make the time better per say, but there are ways to make the final moments more meaningful by eliminating as much stress as possible.
My advice is to start planning early.  Try to make some of the tough decisions before your loved one is too sick to be able to communicate clearly.  Having a plan and some directives will lessen the stress for everyone involved.  Emotions are already so high when dealing with an ailing family member, trying to make difficult decisions will only add to the strain and confusion.

Illinois Attempts to Make Drastic Cuts to Medicaid

Illinois lawmakers are currently in the process of putting together budget bill for the State of Illinois.  As part of this, the Illinois Department of Human Services is negotiating with lawmakers to make an end-run around the Administrative process by instituting draconian cuts to the Medicaid program through the budget process.  While cuts and revenue enhancements are needed everywhere in the Illinois budget, some of the proposed changes by DHS are truly draconian and will adversely effect Seniors around the State.