We invite you to join the many friends of Hospice of Frederick County who have created a personal legacy by pledging thier support. Their planned gifts are helping Hospice achieve its mission to promote quality of life by providing medical, emotional, spiritual, and bereavement support to individuals and their loved ones facing a life-limiting illness. Through a planned gift, you partner with Hospice of Frederick County to assure that its commitment to care for anyone, regardless the ability to pay, remains a reality for generations to come. As a member of the Planned Gift Committee, I Thank You in advance…
Recent studies show that doctors have more influence on an aging person's decision to stop driving than the person's family does. But if you can’t speak to the doctor, there are a number of topics that, if not handled correctly, can cause division between an aging parent and their children. Is it safe for the parent to drive? Is the parent taking proper care of themselves or their pets? Should the parent consider moving into an assisted living center? There are ways for the children to handle these topics in a sensitive way. In some ways, these conversations need to…
On May 15, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the Plan, the first-ever national strategic plan to deal with the Alzheimer’s crisis. The National Alzheimer’s Plan has five overarching goals: Prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. Optimize care quality and efficiency. Expand supports for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families. Enhance public awareness and engagement. Improve data to track progress. On September 21, the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Maryland Chapter held a Town Hall to discuss the nation’s first National Alzheimer’s Plan and how it may affect you and your community. Elder Law Attorney,…
Parents typically face two choices when selecting a trustee to manage a special needs trust for their child when the parents have died. One choice is a professional trustee–a bank or trust company or an individual who is in the business of serving as a trustee. Of course, professional trustees charge fees, and many banks and trust companies have a minimum trust balance requirement in order to serve as trustee. The other choice is to name a family member to serve as trustee, such as a sibling of the trust beneficiary or some other trusted family member. However, in most…
The Elder Law Office of David Wingate is helping to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease by walking in the “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” We are raising money for Alzheimer’s in hopes others will not have to go through what our clients and family members have been through. We are calling our group “Wingate’s Warriors” as we feel we are in war with the disease. To help bring an end to Alzheimer’s, please go to the web site to make a DONATION. Currently, more than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to grow to as many as…
The early-onset form of Alzheimer’s disease affects people younger than 65 and accounts for as much as 5 percent of Alzheimer's cases in the U.S. — or about 200,000 people, according to the Alzheimer's Association. The Association estimates 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's. The costs of caring for those with the disease will total $200 billion this year. Some experts believe people who develop Alzheimer's before age 65 usually have a genetic mutation. They can show symptoms as young as age 35. Testing positive for the ApoE4 gene, increases the risk of Alzheimer's and is carried by one in four…
An Alabama attorney recently filed an application in a spousal case, in which the husband, community spouse, has been farming for more than 20 years to supplement his income. Therefore, they claimed his tractor and pickup truck as excluded because they were necessary in his farming operation. He has been filing a Schedule F. Well, it turns out that because his wife at home Alzheimer's dementia took so much of his time, he had sold off all his cattle in 2010 and only had 29 chickens in his inventory. Since he had no income reported in 2011 from sales, his…
A new poll examining financial exploitation of American seniors finds that 79 percent of experts surveyed identified theft or diversion of funds by family members as the most common form of financial abuse. The poll asked state securities regulators, financial planners, health care professionals, social workers, adult protective services workers, law enforcement officials, elder law attorneys, and academics about their experiences with elder abuse. Seventy-seven percent of individuals surveyed thought that seniors are very vulnerable to financial abuse, and most cited financial abuse by family members as the most common form of financial abuse. Most respondents indicated that older veterans…
Poor results in the long-term care insurance sector have led many providers to exit the market, leaving its future uncertain, Moody’s Investors Service says in a new report. The report, “Long-Term Care Insurance: Sector Profile,” says that despite the need for non-medical coverage by an aging population, the product’s future is also in question because of persistent losses and a challenging operating environment. “Key credit considerations for the sector are the relative newness of long-term care insurance and the long-tailed and complex product structure, which make it difficult to price the product profitably and to reserve for,” says Laura Bazer,…
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