senior care planning Tag

Home mortgages typically have a mortgage acceleration clause, called a “due on sale” clause. This is a clause that says that the mortgage becomes due and payable if the property is sold or transferred to another individual without the lender’s prior written consent. There is a federal law that prevents lenders from applying that clause when the homeowner transfers their...

Protected health information can’t be  disclosed to anyone but the patient or the patient’s authorized recipients.  If you are the court-appointed Guardian of an incapacitated person, or you are a designated Agent under a Health Care Proxy or Health Care Power of Attorney, you may have encountered roadblocks in trying to get access to the records of the person you are acting for....

I cannot tell you how many times over the years a client has told me that despite what is written in the Last Will and Testament of their parent or grandparent or Aunt or Uncle, “s/he said that s/he was leaving the house to X,” or “she wanted Y to get more because he moved in and was taking care of her at the end” or “she gave a lot of money to Z and intended him...

Many of our clients are caregivers of elders with Dementia.  They feel shut in taking care of their loved ones, never sure if they can go out together without incident.  Well, here is one option:  Jewish Family Services of Central New Jersey presents the Memory Cafe, on February 9th, March 23 and April 27th from 12 pm to 2pm at 655 Westfield Ave., Elizabeth, where individuals with dementia and...

For many senior citizens, being able to “age in place” and stay in their  home is a really high priority. The obligation to use Medicaid dollars to support aged and disabled individuals in the least restrictive environment has been a cornerstone of federal policy since the Olmstead decision was issued by the Supreme Court in 1999.  In addition to that there is the obligation to...

If you regularly follow this blog, you know that there are resource limits and income rules for the  Medicaid program for nursing home care, assisted living and in-home care benefits for individuals who are aged or disabled. Some of these Medicaid numbers are adjusted by the State of New Jersey each year. In addition, CMS adjusts certain Medicare numbers each year (premiums, deductibles and...

When a senior or disabled patient who is on Medicare transfers to a skilled nursing facility for “rehab” after a hospitalization (of 3 days or more), a treatment plan is developed based on the physician’s orders, which incorporates all of the skilled care services which need to be provided in an inpatient facility by licensed personnel. Medicare Part A will pay for up to 100...

When a person applies for Medicaid under the NJ MLTSS program after having made gift transfers during the most recent 5 years, there will likely be a penalty period in which Medicaid will not pay for the care that this person needs (unless the transfers were exempt, such as transfers to a spouse or disabled child). This transfer penalty is mandated by federal law, and the greater the amount...

A person who moves into a nursing home is referred to as a “resident” for a reason — this is their new home. At the end of life, the health care representative (or the patient himself) may be wondering whether there is a way to ensure that he can “die at home” in his bed instead of in a hospital.  Paving the way for a quiet end will require teamwork and...

“Can you just do a quitclaim deed?” is a common question brought to our office. Sometimes it’s a question by a child, other times by the spouse of the senior citizen homeowner. There’s a concern about “saving the house” when nursing home care is looming on the horizon. Leaving aside the complex question of whether such a transfer will disqualify the senior...