8/14/2019 Legal Steps You Must Take When a Loved One Has
Alzheimer's
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Get Legal Advice NOW to ProtectYour Familys Nest Egg
The Karp Law Firm SalutesAll Our Veterans On Veterans Day!
Were all indebted to you for your service!
Caring for a loved one who hasAlzheimers Disease, particularly
ifthe person needs custodial nursingcare, carries a stratos-pheric
price tag. Its aprice few families canpay. If youre in
thissituation, its wise to
consult a certified eld-er lawattorney to learnabout protecting
yourfamilys nest egg. Thishas nothing to do withgreed. Its a
question ofeconomic survival: Pre-serving assets can allowthe well
spouse to liveout life witha modicumof financial security
anddignity. Any monies not lost to nurs-ing home expenses can also
be usedto enhance the life of the patientwith some little extras.
Preservedmonies may also mean you wonthave to turn to your kids for
helpan idea mostparents findrepugnant.
Your attorney can give you accu-rate and comprehensive advice
aboutthe availability of Medicaid resources.If the attorney is
accredited by theDepartment of Affairs, you can alsoget guidance on
any available VABenefits.
A certified elder law attorneyw i l l a l s o b e ab l e t o d
et erm i n ewhether your legal documentsneed to be modified. For
example,y o u r s p o u s e w i t h A l z h ei m er sDisease should
no longer be yourmedical care surrogate, agent un-der your durable
power of attorney,personal representative in your will,
or trustee. And youll probably wantto make sure that you dont
leaveyour ill spouse an inheritance, since
receiving a lump sumcould make him ineli-gible for vital
govern-ment benefits.
There is no telling
h o w l o n g a n y o n eAlzheimers patientwill remain
mentallycompetent. Therefore,plans should always bemade without
unduedelay. Once the patientis no longer cognitivelyfunctional, you
may stillhave options, but theywill be farmore limited.
Lastly, I urge you to avoid seek-ing advice from non-lawyers or
in-experienced lawyers. Im as eager asthe next guy to save a few
bucks, but
this is a complicated legalmatter andthe system provides little
mercy for
blunders. In fact, a signifi-cantpercentageof my clientsare
families trying to putback what was put legallyasunder by
ill-informed ad-visors.
Joseph S. Karp is a nationally certi-fied and Florida
Bar-certified elder lawattorney (C.E.L.A.) specializing in
thepracticeof Trusts,Estates andElderLaw.Hisoffices arelocated
at2500 QuantumLakes Drive, Boynton Beach; 2875 PGA
Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens; and 1100SW St. Lucie W. Blvd., Port
St. Lucie.Call him at 561-752-4550 (Boynton);561-625-1100 (Palm
Beach Gardens); or772-343-8411 (Port St. Lucie). Toll-freefrom
anywhere: 800-893-9911. E-mail:[email protected] or
websitewww.karplaw.com.
Read The Florida Elder Law andEstate Planning Blog
atwww.karplaw.blogspot.com.
Joseph S. Karp,C.E.L.A.
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Listen to Joe Karp withAnita Finley on Saturday,
November 28 from 7:30-8:00 AMon WSBR 740AM and on the
Internet at www.wsbrradio.com.
