AL Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog

Are your loved ones on Medicare? Then you need to know that Medicare’s Annual Open Enrollment Period begins October 15th. This is the time for Alabama seniors, including your loved ones, to focus on whether any changes need to be made to their plans.

In caring for your aging loved one, what steps should you take to limit his or her risk of falling? You are probably very aware that when a senior adult falls there may be serious injuries and even long-term effects on the overall health of an aging loved one. Sadly, falls can also be fatal. There is good news, though, because with some common sense steps most falls can be preventable. Research and lifestyle adjustments are steps that could greatly reduce the risk of your aging loved one falling, and causing the hip fractures and head injuries that often result. 

Do you have a loved one recently diagnosed with dementia? Are you caring for your loved one in your home? Did you know that one of the most challenging aspects of witnessing a loved one struggle with dementia may be the sadness and confusion your loved one experiences? In fact, often your loved one may exhibit his or her sadness and confusion through angry outbursts and belligerence.

Have you just completed your Alabama estate plan? Are you confident that when you pass away your estate will not have to go through the probate? It is excellent that you have an Alabama last will and testament. However, the fact that you have a will does not, by itself, allow your estate to avoid probate. This is one mistake we see in our office when the probate process is misunderstood. 

Have you ever had to respond to a health care emergency involving a senior loved one? During the COVID-19 crisis many families were forced to confront these emergencies. Sadly, the pandemic has hit elder adults disproportionately harder than the rest of society. Too late families realized they lacked the basic health care documents needed to act effectively on the behalf of their senior loved ones.

Are you and your loved ones in the process of looking for a skilled nursing home? We know this is a difficult decision. How do you choose the right nursing home? What are the hurdles that you and your loved ones will face? How do you plan ahead so that the needs of your loved ones can be met by the facility, both now and in the future? 

Have you and your aging parents thought about what might happen if one or both were to need nursing home care? Do you and your parents have concerns over the possible expense of a nursing home? Are you and your parents also concerned that after a lifetime of working hard and saving it may all have to be spent on a nursing home? As we celebrate National Elder Law Month during the month of May, the topic of our aging seniors paying for nursing home care comes to the forefront of our minds in our law office, as we think of ways to help our clients, their loved ones, and our community.