It’s a common question, especially for people caring for a loved one with a disability. Attorney Steven L. Rubin with Drazen Law Group answers the most commonly-asked questions about pooled trusts. What is a “Pooled Trust”? A pooled trust is a creature of federal disability law, authorized by Congress under 42 U.S.C. section 1396p(d)(4)(C). Before...

Do your summer vacation plans involve including an elderly relative in your trip to the shore, mountains or summer home? These tips will help things go more smoothly. Parking. If you will be parking in a location that requires any amount of walking, bring your handicapped parking sticker. Get the sticker if you don’t already...

If all the creative power used to develop scams was directed toward solving problems like curing cancer or ending world hunger, we would be living in a utopian world by now. But no. Scammers keep thinking up new schemes to separate seniors from their hard-earned money. What are the latest scams targeting seniors in Connecticut?...

Many people are using the legal system to deprive others of their life’s work. Millions and millions of new lawsuits are filed every year. As you can imagine, many are frivolous or settled for large amounts of money. Business owners, property owners, and professionals such as accountants, lawyers, dentists, and doctors are often a target....

Long-term care is one of the most expensive cost people will face and a danger to the life savings of senior citizens. The fear of losing control, the loss of assets, possessions, and homes drives people to search out ways to protect themselves from the enormous costs associated with long-term care. Many seniors turn to...

As a love one’s health changes, some of the most difficult decisions for caregivers involve residential care transitions. Families are often surprised when elderly loved ones end up on wait lists after applying for residence in long-term care facilities. What are these wait lists? How do they work in Connecticut? What do families need to...

When parents have always been passionate about exercising their right to vote, adult children don’t think twice about helping them get to the polls. But when advancing dementia diminishes mental capacity, should seniors continue to vote? Who decides if people with dementia have the capacity to vote? How is that assessment made? And where is...

What happens when elderly parents tell one child that they want their end of life to be handled one way, yet a sibling wants to do something else? What happens in blended family situations when there is a second (or third) spouse and kids from one or more previous marriages involved? I once had two...

If you’re an older adult with a chronic or terminal illness, it is vitally important to tell your children or other loved ones what decisions you would want them to make about your care if you can’t make those decisions yourself. It’s also important to document those decisions in the form of a living will....

The right to love is considered to be an essential human right. But does that right apply to Alzheimer’s patients? Consider the questions: Can people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, people who are often unable to recognize their own children, give their sound consent to sexual activity? If staff members in a long-term care facility …

As we age, our lives change and it’s impossible to know how these changes will affect us until they happen to us (or to the elderly loved ones in our care). Take sex, for instance. In our youth-worshiping culture, older people aren’t seen as sexual beings, yet research shows that many seniors enjoy physical relationships...

If you’re looking ahead to the probate process, I have a book recommendation. Surviving Probate: A Practical Guide for Executors and Trustees explains the basics in 43 short pages. Written by Brad Wiewel, a friend of mine who has an estate planning law practice in Austin, Texas, Surviving Probate: A Practical Guide for Executors and...

Following the shocking death of Prince, folks across the country were equally shocked to learn that the musical genius died without a Will or Trust in place to deal with the distribution of his fortune and valuable music catalogue when he passed away. Dying without a Will in his home state of Minnesota now means...

New approaches to care are giving families more choices than ever before. This article is the second in a three-part series that explores some of the most interesting new developments in long-term care. This week we examine Continuing Care at Home (CCaH) programs. *** Research shows that more than 85 percent of seniors prefer to...

New approaches to care are giving families more choices than ever before. This article is the second in a three-part series that explores some of the most interesting new developments in long-term care. This week we examine Green House Communities. *** Green House communities represent another model for long-term senior care that prioritizes person-directed care...

While my training and education make me an elder law professional, I find that term to be limiting. My goal has always been to be an authority on successful aging. One of the ways I do that is by constantly scanning the horizon in search of new approaches that might work well for my clients....

National Healthcare Decisions Day is on April 16th, and it’s an important reminder for every adult to begin having difficult conversations with loved ones about their most private wishes for medical and end-of-life care. Far too many people assume that their families would make the choices they would want in an emergency. Yet every day...

The cost of assisted living facilities continue to rise for seniors and their families, leaving them struggling to make sure their loved ones are receiving the care they need and deserve. While it seems like sometimes there is just no relief from these rising costs, Milford elder law attorneys often advise their clients about tax...

When making an estate plan and Last Will and Testament, many people have a difficult time deciding who should be the Executor of their estate. Oftentimes they will consider naming Co-Executors – two or more people who serve as executor of the estate. Each Co-Executor named in your Last Will and Testament will have authority...

A previous post looked at some of the most common business entities that a Milford business planning lawyer will recommend for clients. From the simplicity of a sole proprietorship to the complexity of an S corporation, that piece shared some advantages and disadvantages of each entity when it comes to implementation, accountability, and taxation. With...

Many grandparents wish to leave a legacy behind for their grandchildren; however, they may run into some issues if those children are underage. A Milford Wills and Trusts attorney can help you determine what the best options are for leaving assets to underage beneficiaries, whether those assets are held in a Will or Trust, financial...

Whenever there’s more than one adult child involved in the care of an elderly parent, the potential for disagreement exists. In most cases, siblings are able to put aside their differences and work together. But in a small number of cases—about 1 percent overall—family members have no interest in reaching accord. One adult child thinks...

Many people refer to our older years in life as the “Golden Years,” and in many ways they are because we have the time to do what we have always wanted to do. While this freedom and independence is wonderful, we must find ways to balance this with our safety. By taking some minor precautions,...

It’s become more and more common now to see clients come in with probate cases that need to be dealt with in multiple states. Many seniors today are “snow birds,” meaning they spend their winters in states with warmer climates while keeping their actual residency in the state they’ve spent most of their lives in....

In general, Americans are very uncomfortable talking about end-of-life issues. It can be hard for people to think about (and plan for) their own death, let alone the death of their loved ones. I get it. Yet, by not discussing these issues, you are leaving your future caregivers (most often your adult children) in an...