Technological innovations designed to help seniors live longer, more fulfilling lives are starting to catch on—everything from companion robots to smart devices that can help monitor, alert, track and support our growing senior community, whether they are living in smart senior communities or in their own homes.It is important for elder law attorneys and elder…
Written by Robert Nickerson “Why is this happening to me!? It isn’t fair! Where’s my moment?” If you’re a parent, you’ve probably been asked this by your child, especially if they have a sibling that received a little more attention. You might overhear from another parents that in order to be fair, you also had…
Written by Robert T. Nickerson Todays the day! You’ve signed your last signature and your lawyer has sent you home with your estate plan. So what to do with them? A lot of lawyers (including Jeffrey Nickerson) will hold your original documents at the office in locked, safe cabinets that clients can have access to anytime….
Written by Robert T. Nickerson Estate planning doesn’t just affect the people you want to address like your family; it can affect the family for generations in the long run. A good example of this is from the founding father and first president, George Washington. According to his will and last testament of 1799, George…
Written by Robert Nickerson Estate Planning becomes a greater challenge when a loved one like a spouse or an offspring has a chronic illness like Parkinson’s, senile dementia or multiple sclerosis. Chronic Illness is Not a Rare Situation If we were to look at the numbers, there are over a 120 million Americans that suffer with a…
This article examines the unique planning requirements of families with children, grandchildren or other family members (such as parents) with special needs. There are numerous misconceptions in this area that can result in costly mistakes when planning for special needs beneficiaries. Understanding the pitfalls associated with special needs planning is a must for all of us who…
The benefits of a highly detailed, comprehensive power of attorney are numerous. Unfortunately, many powers of attorney are more general in nature and can actually cause more problems than they solve, especially for our senior population. This issue of theElderCounselore-newsletter is intended to highlight the benefits of a comprehensive, detailed power of attorney. A proper…
Long-term care is becoming an important issue for our nation to address. We have 78 million aging baby boomers. The costs of long-term care to these baby boomers can be catastrophic and few people have sufficient resources to pay for needed long-term care. In an effort to deal with this growing concern, the Long-Term Care Financing Collaborative (the…
Written by Robert Nickerson In the case of wills, documents, and full estate plans, there have been plenty of sad, badly timed, and simply weird situations that have affected clients in ways that were not considered. The good news is that everyone makes mistakes. It’s a matter of just not repeating those mistakes. Badly written…
Most of us know of someone who has been diagnosed with dementia. It is a costly, heart-breaking and life-altering syndrome that is nearly doubling in numbers of people affected worldwide every 20 years[1]. Dementia has affected the likes of Norman Rockwell, E.B. White, Rita Hayworth, Charlton Heston, Ronald Reagan, Charles Bronson, Margaret Thatcher and many…