Elder Law

As the end of the year approaches, many may be thinking about utilizing the $13,000 annual gift tax exclusion. The annual gift tax exclusion makes it possible to give money to any number of people without having to pay gift ...

Blended families are families where one or both spouses have children by a previous marriage. Typically, par­ties want to provide for each other and also for their chil dren of prior marriages. The situation becomes even more interesting when the ...

Most patients and their family members are not entirely surprised when a diagnosis of demen­tia is made by a physician.

We often speak with families who are concerned about the driving abil ity of their elderly loved ones. Giving up driving is very dif ficult because it can signal a great loss of independence. How ever, a senior need not ...

Years ago when I would meet with clients to discuss estate planning, much of what we discussed was minimizing taxes. Today the focus has changed. While our job includes making sure that our clients are not paying more taxes than ...

Last year, the long-standing homestead law in Florida changed. The old law provided that (as long as there was no pre- or post-nuptial agreement waiving rights) a surviving spouse was entitled to at least a life estate in the home.

Most people would prefer to have long-term care provided in the home as opposed to receiving care in a fa- cility. This type of care is particularly expensive. However, most long-term care policies do provide this benefit. In addition, home ...

According to the National Alliance for Caregiving Report, Caring in the U.S. 2009 about 48.9 million Americans spend an average of 20 hours a week caring for a loved one 50 years old or older. Generally this care is provided ...

By law, nursing homes must make reasonable adjustments to honor the preferences of the residents. The time and place to request these adjustments is in the care plan meeting for the resident. Nursing homes are required to have care plan ...

Long-term care insurance can provide a source of funds to pay for long term care.