Top Indicators that your elder family member may not be able to continue to live alone any longer.

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

By Attorney Amy Baron
Massachusetts Elder Law Attorney

This guide looks at the top indicators one should be “on the look out for” in considering whether your loved one can continue to live alone. The following list will help you to identify if your parent could benefit from home care services, placement in an assisted living facility or a nursing home.

1. 1. Disorientation or confusion:

   About who they are, who other family or friends are, where they are and what day, time or year it is.

2. 2. Forgetfulness:

   About doctors appointments, taking their medications, eating meals, paying bills, names, addresses, phone numbers, etc..

3. 3. Increase in car accidents:

   This can indicate deterioration in vision, slowed reflexes, general physical weakness, mental confusion or forgetfulness of the rules of the road.

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Elder Law: Issues Affecting Elders and Their Adult Children

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

We’re often asked to provide our insight and guidance regarding Elder Law matters. Occasionally we present to groups where we have the opportunity to discuss real events and offer our advice.

This is our presentation on Elder Law issues. We provide an overview of what Elder Law is and we discuss the meaningful issues that an elder and their adult children should discuss together. The topics include wills, living wills, health care proxies, powers of attorney, trusts, long term care planning, insurance, guardianship and conservatorship. (more…)

Why have a Nurse Attorney mediate your Elder Care issue?

Friday, September 24th, 2010

By Attorney Amy Baron
Massachusetts Elder Care Mediator

Adult children/siblings often find themselves responsible for their parents care.  As parents of adult children age or become faced with disabling conditions, many questions inevitably arise including who will manage their finances, who will take care of them physically and should they remain in the family home?

Family relationships are very important.  By mediating these issues, family members are saying that they want to preserve the family unit and are willing to work together to find options that will enable them to reach an agreement.

During an elder care/law mediation, family members and all interested parties work together with a mediator (an impartial neutral) to identify and clarify the issues that have brought the parties in to mediate.  There may be just one or two issues that stand alone or more often than not, there are several issues that are intertwined.  By working with the families to identify these issues, generate options to resolving them and coming to a resolution, we end up with an agreement that meets the needs of and works for the individual and all the family members and caregivers as individuals and as a unit. (more…)