The Connecticut Elder Law Blog

CT Alzheimer's Association Workshop

Just passing on yet another helpful workshop being presented by the Connecticut Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. If you are in central Connecticut and have some time on the night of November 17th, then this is a good opportunity to beef up on financial and legal issues that come with Alzheimer's Disease. 

Click here for the flier.

Possible Tax Benefits for Caregiver Children

Perhaps you've made the extraordinary commitment of moving Mom or Dad (or both) into your house to live with you so that you could provide continuous care and keep them out of a nursing home.  If you made that commitment this year and have stuck with it this long then you are to be commended; it's a tremendous sacrifice and chances are that it turned out to be at least ten times harder than you thought it was going to be.  

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to let you know about a significant tax benefit that you should take advantage of.  One caregiver client recently commented that his experience with taking care of Dad at home is proof-positive that "what goes around comes around".  In other words, when he was a child he depended on Dad to take care of him, and now he's doing the same for Dad.

Just remember that the IRS rewards you when someone depends on you, so make sure you find out if you are eligible for a "dependency exemption" on your income tax return for taking care of Mom/Dad.  Also, if you have shelled out money for their medical expenses, then it may be possible to write those expenses off as well.

If you have an accountant you should call him/her to talk about the details.  Or if you live in the Hartford County area and you don't have an accountant but would like a referral please let me know.

DISCLAIMER: This blog does not offer legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship.  If you need legal advice, consult with a lawyer instead of a blog.

 

What are Your Odds of a Future Nursing Home Placement?

 

Whenever I sit down with clients to plan ahead for Medicaid eligibility we spend a lot of time walking through the worst-case scenario of permanent nursing home placement, thereby triggering approximately $12,000 per month in nursing home fees (Connecticut is the 2nd most expensive state in the U.S. when it comes to nursing home care).  But it's also important to at least consider the possibility that the client will never actually need to be placed in a nursing home. 

 

There is no "crystal ball" to use and nothing can be guaranteed but there are factors to consider when trying to determine the odds that you will need permanent nursing home placement at some point in the future.

 

Is there a history of dementia and/or Alzheimer's Disease in family?  It seems like these are the types of conditions that most often trigger the need for long-term, permanent nursing home placement and they are very hereditary.  Other issues like diabetes, a heart condition, a bad hip etc. can usually be handled adequately at home.  

 

Do children, grandchildren and other family members live nearby or are they beyond driving distance from your home?  The larger the local support network (usually a family-based network) the less likely that you will need to be permanently institutionalized.  

 

How extensive are your liquid assets?  Even if you don't have long term care insurance in place, the more you have in investments, bank accounts, retirement accounts, etc., there is a greater possibility that you will be able to provide yourself with home health care and/or companionship to keep you in the community.

 

I always advocate for planning for the worst (in this context, permanent nursing home placement) and hoping for the best.  However, you need to realize that future nursing home placement is not a "given", and if the chances of requiring institutionalization are remote based on your own set of personal circumstances then you should factor that into your planning. 

 

DISCLAIMER: This blog does not offer legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship.  If you need legal advice, consult with a lawyer instead of a blog.

 

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Alzheimer Association's "Caregiver Center"

The Alzheimer's Association just launched its much-anticipated "Caregiver Center", which is a comprehensive online resource.  

I particularly like the way they break the caregiving information down into early, middle and late-stage caregiving.  You can tell a lot of thought went into this website.

Click here to check out the Center.

National Alzheimer's Plan is Off and Running

President Obama signed legislation in January 2011 which called for a national plan to address Alzheimer's Disease.  On May 15th the "National Alzheimer's Plan" was unveiled and it hones in on five main goals, perhaps the most ambitious of them: prevent and treat Alzheimer's by 2025.

It's a relief for me, my clients and their families to see this initiative really get off the ground.  Alzheimer's is truly one of the worst diseases out there and it's clearly time for a strong, comprehensive effort to address this national health crisis.  Now comes the tough part; making sure that the plan realizes forward progress on a long-term basis.

All the details of the plan, including all of the planning that led up its finalization is here.