For many patients, there comes a time when disease and other medical conditions leave medical providers with few treatment options. Patients who reach that terminal state of illness are often confronted with the hard reality of knowing that there is no cure for their condition. In many cases, their focus must be redirected from treatment that is designed to improve their health and to care that is designed to make their remaining days as comfortable as possible. This end-of-life care is known as … [Read more...]
Five Reasons You Need Incapacity Planning
So, you’ve finally gotten around to creating that Last Will and Testament you’ve been putting off for so long. Maybe you even added a trust or a few other estate planning tools to help deal with various end-of-life and legacy planning challenges. With all of that, your estate plan is finally complete – right? Maybe not. The fact is that you aren’t really protected unless you’ve also included a plan to deal with unforeseen and incapacitating illness or injury too. Here are five very important … [Read more...]
Disability Planning Can Provide Peace of Mind
Studies indicate that the average life span is 78 years. This figure is calculated by including people who pass away at all ages. As you get older, your life expectancy will increase beyond this overall average. Once you reach the age of 65, it becomes statistically likely that you will live into your 80s.In fact, according to the United States Census Bureau, the portion of the population that was between 85 and 94 grew faster than any other decade-long age grouping between the last two … [Read more...]
Does an Indiana Power of Attorney Take Effect Immediately?
A truly well constructed estate plan will include an incapacity planning component. While incapacity planning can seem like something that is not really important, in fact, a very significant percentage of elders become unable to handle all of their own affairs at some point in time.When you look at the statistics, you can see that people are living longer and longer lives. The Social Security Administration website has a life expectancy calculator that you can use when you are planning ahead … [Read more...]
Report: Indianapolis Nursing Home Costs Will Rise
Heisenberg discovered the fact that you cannot measure location and velocity at the same time. This is called the uncertainty principle, and it can seem like a purely scientific thought experiment. At the same time, in a way, it applies to your everyday life when it comes to financial budgeting.You are in a certain place financially right now, and the things that you need cost you a certain amount. However, what about the future? You don't know exactly what your financial position will be, and … [Read more...]
Don't Overlook Advance Directives for Health Care
No one is particularly anxious to think about this type of scenario, but the hard truth is that many people become unable to communicate health care decisions late in their lives. When you are planning your estate, you can include an incapacity component to account for this possibility.Your incapacity plan should include advance directives for health care. One of these directives is called a living will.Unlike a last will or last will and testament, a living will does not have anything to do … [Read more...]
Free Report: Can I Take Back Assets in a Medicaid Trust?
People who work and pay taxes for any length of time will qualify for Medicare when they reach the age of 65, and just about everyone is aware of this fact of life. When you are younger, you probably don't think much about Medicare, so you may not know all of the facts. It would be natural to assume that Medicare will cover every health care matter that can come your way when you are a senior citizen.In reality, the Medicare program does not pay for long-term care. It will pay for convalescent … [Read more...]
Do I Surrender Control When I Create a Power of Attorney?
You are probably aware of the fact that a power of attorney is a legal document that you could use to give someone else the power to make decisions on your behalf that would be legally binding. There are various different reasons why you may want to use a power of attorney when you are fully capable of handling your own affairs.For example, you may be out of the country on business for an extended period of time, and you may give an associate the power to enter into certain business … [Read more...]
Why Do I Need a Power of Attorney?
A power of attorney is a legal device that you would use to empower an agent or attorney-in-fact to act on your behalf in a legally binding manner. There are various different reasons why you may want to grant this power, but a specific type of power of attorney is used to account for incapacity.We specialize in estate planning and elder law matters, and incapacity planning is an important part of the equation. People often become unable to make sound decisions on their own at some point in … [Read more...]
What Are the Disadvantages of a Power of Attorney?
A power of attorney is a legal document that you can use to give another person the ability to act on your behalf. It can be necessary to grant a power of attorney under some circumstances, but there is an inherent disadvantage that is readily self-evident.It can be disconcerting to allow someone else to act for you, but you are clearly going to name a representative that you trust implicitly. Plus, to protect yourself, you could grant a limited power of attorney. With a limited power of … [Read more...]
