senior care Tag

“Aging in place” is what most people want. Remaining in the community is a high priority goal for most elders. The challenge is that there might be many needs to be met to achieve this goal. Parents and children need to talk to each other about aging-related issues so that the parents can gracefully and securely remain at home. Here...

The surviving spouse of a Social Security recipient is entitled to a “bump up” in their benefits if the deceased spouse received a higher monthly benefit than the survivor was receiving. Typically, the funeral director notifies the Social Security Administration about the death. Don’t assume that this notification suffices to preserve eligiblity for the widow’s benefit....

This is my tribute to the elders in our communities who have been so terribly affected by  the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Untouchable; Alone (April 16, 2020 Central Jersey) (c) Linda S. Ershow-Levenberg , all rights reserved Untouchable. Alone. He wants his daughter. Every morning she brought coffee and some news. She would tell him of the books that she was reading, trim his hair, or...

To say that the care-delivery system in New Jersey’s nursing homes in 2020 has been fraught with problems and perils is, of course, an understatement. Certain facilities are just now beginning to admit new residents, and many new procedures for infection control and care delivery have to be put in place. The NJ Attorney General announced on April 16th that he is embarking on an...

Increasing numbers of frail elderly are trying to arrange for care in their houses or apartments because admission to nursing facilities is so problematic at this time. About one third of the state’s skilled nursing facilities are considered to be incapable of appropriately isolating COVID-19 patients, and have been  barred from any new admissions. Of course, arranging for home care is...

The New Jersey Department of Health issued a comprehensive statement concerning triage and the care of COVID-19 patients in different kinds of licensed health care facilities. This is one among many directives issued in the past six weeks. Read the directive here: FinalAllocationPolicy4.11.20v2 As the patient is being treated, many decisions need to be made along the way, often in rapid-fire...

The latest release by the NJ Supreme Court outlines the latest rules concerning trials, scheduling, closings, and so on which will affect cases, lawyers  and litigants throughout New Jersey. Cases can still be filed but numerous adjustments are being made to the deadlines and procedures. Emergencies can be addressed, and all matters are going to be handled by telephone or videoconferencing....

  New Jersey’s Medicaid program normally has a lot of rules and red tape.  Some of the rules relate to who meets the level of care for Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) and some relate to financial eligibility.  All of these rules require travel and manpower to implement that may not be available during this pandemic emergency. Federal Medicaid law has a type of waiver of Medicaid...

The State of New Jersey Department of Human Services has announced some initiatives designed to help assure continuity of care, access to medicine and nutrition assistance, for individuals who are dependent on programs such as SNAP, group homes, charity medical care, MLTSS home care and services in certain DDD-funded programs. As always, the real test will be in the details for how these...

Lauren Marinaro has been selected for a two year term as National Board Member for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) for 2020-2022.  NAELA  is a national membership organization for attorneys that keeps its members informed and up-to-date on fast-breaking changes in the law — legislation, agency rules and court decisions — that would affect seniors and people with...