The Connecticut Elder Law Blog

Long-Distance Caregivers Should Look Into On-Line Banking

I work with a lot of elderly here in Connecticut who have a child or children helping them out from far-off places like Florida and the west coast.  In cases like these there is almost always a need for help with money management and that is where on-line banking becomes indispensable. 

All of the major banks (and most of the not-so-major banks) offer on-line banking that can give you instant access to the current account balances, the ability to transfer funds between accounts, pay bills on-line and some banks even allow you to transfer funds from their bank to an account in a different institution.  I'm a big fan of ING's Electric Orange Account, which is a completely paper-free, interest-bearing checking account where literally everything (including mailing paper checks) can be done on-line. 

All of this technology makes long-distance care-giving and money management a lot easier than it used to be!  If you're a caregiver in such a situation you may want to take a tour of the on-line offerings of mom and/or dad's bank and see if it makes sense for you.

Bookmark this Elder Abuse Website

I'd like to bring your attention to a wonderful online resource for families with older loved ones.  The National Center on Elder Abuse, which falls under the federal Department of Health & Human Services, has a revamped website which definitely warrants a bookmark.  There is an absolute wealth of very useful information here regardless of where you live.  It provides assistance to the public and professionals; everything from practical articles on elder abuse, to comprehensive data and statistics to a listserv.

To say that elder abuse is an important issue for U.S. society is a huge understatement, so it's great that families can have a resource like this.  If you have the slightest suspicion that a loved one is a victim of elder abuse, the NCEA website would be an excellent place to begin the self-education process on this important subject.

Connecticut's Statutes Online

A couple of nights ago I was watching Suspect, an old 1987 legal thriller starring Cher and Dennis Quaid.  As I was watching a scene where the protagonists were collecting and flipping through books in an enormous law library I mentioned to Amy that this is clearly a 20 year-old movie because all the stuff in that library is online these days.

When I mentioned that, I realized that many of my clients probably don't know that Connecticut, like many states, offers full access to its general statutes online.  Click here for the site which is updated to January 1, 2007 and offers both browsing and search options. 

If you're someone who likes to do your homework and you're faced with a legal issue, then this site is a great candidate for a bookmark.  Enjoy!