Life Care Planning

We adhere to the principles of an elder centered law practice. When we discuss Life Care Planning, we talk about the elder care continuum, which is a timeline on which the individual is moving toward the end of their life. The ideal for all of us is to age in place. That means the elder who lives in their own home, independently and successfully with no assistance needed, until they pass away. Some people have the good fortune to depart life in this manner, but many do not. Instead, they may have Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, or suffered a disabling stroke, or become frail, or otherwise have found themselves moving down the elder care continuum. They find that they need assistance with activities of daily living. That means they need to plan for their long-term care needs. What does life care planning mean? I describe Life Care Planning as our discovering the elder’s place on the elder care continuum and then figuring out what we need to do to identify, access, and pay for good care for the individual, both now and in the future. That is not as easy as it sounds, but for an elder centered law practice, it is the essence of what we do. To put it another way, we help older people manage their chronic illnesses. Seniors need to get good care when and where they need it, and they need to know how to pay for it. As an elder centered law practice, we will include in our engagement agreements with the client a paragraph that says that we will not knowingly take a position that harms an elder and it is our goal to improve the quality of life for those elders we serve. By entering into this agreement with us, you expressly authorize us to act in your best interests at all times. More...

What is Life Care Planning all about? Well, I’m going to answer that question with a question and in fact many questions. I want you to consider whether you are dealing with any of these issues.

Are you or your family members struggling to meet the needs of an elderly loved one during a chronic illness or disability? Is the primary caregiver suffering from burnout, ill health, frustration, guilt or confusion? Are family members confused about care options, what to do next or where to get help? Was the elder recently diagnosed with cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or other chronic condition? Is the elder ill or disabled with children who live out of town? Has the elder experienced a catastrophic event such as a fall, medication mistake or an accident of some type? Have the family members discovered the elder wandering, malnourished, dehydrated or unable to provide self care? Has the elder suffered a medical event such as a stroke or heart attack? Are elders expressing worries about paying for long-term care in the future? Are children voicing concerns about a parent’s debilitating diagnosis? Is the elder hospitalized and the family has been told that returning home is not an option? If you see one of these signs of distress, your family may benefit from a Life Care Plan. More...

Preparing for the possible costs of future impairment and long-term care is, regrettably, a task that everyone faces as they age. You may never need long-term care. This year, about 9 million men and women over age 65 will need long-term care. By 2020, 12 million older Americans will need long-term care. Four out of five older adults have a chronic condition. Losses in a person’s ability to function day to day are a natural part of the aging process, and those losses become more severe as people get older.

When the elder’s needs for long-term care can no longer be met either inside the home or without the intervention of paid providers, the elder enters what I call the long-term care maze. The elder, and the elder’s family, are now embarking on an arduous journey through murky waters. The journey begins with the observation that the current system in our country for addressing long-term care is a non-system, a hodgepodge of services that fails to meet the needs of the elderly and disabled in the variety of long-term care settings. It is economically inefficient and it fails to assure the quality of services that are provided. More...

Michael D. Weinraub, Certified Elder Law Attorney, provides experienced Elder Law, Life Care Planning, and Long Term Care Planning services to clients in New Jersey, including, but not limited to, South Jersey and the surrounding communities of of Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate, Longport, Galloway, Egg Harbor Township, Linwood, Northfield, Somers Point, Brigantine, Hammonton, and Ocean City; and in Atlantic County, Cape May County, and Ocean County.