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Mistakes can be made when it comes to inheritances and Medicaid. Those mistakes can be costly. When a person is drawing Medicaid benefits and inherits money or property, that inheritance jeopardizes the benefits. The inheritance must be handled carefully to minimize expensive penalties. What “careful” means, though, can be misunderstood without the necessary expertise. The...

When a medical crisis arises, there are many questions asked about the potentially serious decision-making needs that arise. Is there a: Health care directive? Health care proxy? Medical power of attorney? Do not resuscitate? What about HIPAA? What do all of these terms mean? And what are the differences? Some have heard of these types...

Estate planning is important for people of all ages, but as we age, the need for planning becomes even more critical. Many people avoid estate planning because they do not want to think about the end of life, failing health, or disability. Others believe that an estate plan is only for rich people. However, an...

The senior citizen population of the United States is increasing rapidly as the baby boomer generation ages, and the influx of international migration continues. Although the US average life expectancy has seen a slight three-year decline, many Americans, men and women, live well into their 80s, 90s, and beyond. An elder law attorney works with...

Homeownership is the American Dream. People work hard all their lives to own a home, and it is often their most valuable and significant possession. So, when health begins to fail and the need for long-term care arises, we often get this fear-filled question from our clients: will they take away my home? The enormous...

An elder law attorney or certified elder law attorney (CELA) specializes as a legal advocate for aging adults and their loved ones. Elder law encompasses a wide range of legal matters affecting an older or disabled person. Issues related to guardianship, retirement, health care including advance directives, long term care planning, Social Security, Medicare and...

1. My family and I don’t own much. Can’t we put off planning until we can afford it? You shouldn’t. It is crucial to give legal authority to a person of your choice, to care for your children if anything should happen to you. You don’t want your children to become wards of the court,...

The rise of healthcare costs and medical debt is causing a substantial amount of stress among Americans. Roughly 158 million Americans have employer-sponsored health insurance (more than two million in South Carolina). That means there are millions more Americans who pay for health insurance out-of-pocket. Within the last decade, the average family insurance premium went...

In this Covid-19 epidemic, a wrenching question especially demands an answer: if you or someone you love is taken down into life-threatening illness, how far would you want extreme life-prolonging measures to be tried? For us who are particularly vulnerable – seniors, those with compromised immune systems, those already struggling with medical conditions – this...

Due to an aging population, more Americans are finding themselves or their loved ones in need of nursing home care. Often, nursing home care is absolutely necessary, but this doesn’t make it any less expensive and many find themselves depleting their life savings paying for care they need. However, there are ways to avoid spending...