As a parent ages, many adult children are left to pick up the pieces. The parent’s financial and medical needs increase and issues start to take over the adult child’s work time. Employers who can help their workers connect with elder care resources and allow for flexible schedules can retain hard workers and help them through a tough chapter in life.

Employers that can help workers be proactive about financial planning and health care needs can greatly aid their employees. Access to financial counselors, estate planning experts, and elder law attorneys can be great benefits to offer employees over the phone, via webinars, or in person. During this stage, an adult child often needs help strategizing about long-term care, their parent’s Medicare and Social Security benefits, and should know about important documents to create such as a power of attorney and health care directives.

Often times a parent’s concerns spark the adult child to start thinking about his or her finances and life wishes. Giving employees access to workshops and experts will help them have peace of mind while on the job. Also of importance is caregiver support and counseling resources. Having to take care of an ailing parent can be very difficult. Having a resource to count on and get referrals to deal with their depression, stress, and other concerns is the cornerstone to a solid employee assistance program.

New York law firm Littman Krooks LLP assists caregivers and their loved ones to plan for medical needs, estate planning and asset protection, and preservation of government benefits. Our New York City, White Plains or Fishkill elder law and estate planning attorneys are a trusted resource for many New York families. To learn more, visit http://www.littmankrooks.com/elder-law/ or http://www.littmankrooks.com/estate-planning/.

Changes to the Medicaid program in New York can have a big effect on estate assets and planning. New regulations that were put into place in early September allow for the state to recover costs spent on an individual’s Medicaid services. Estate recovery of these costs can come from any assets that pass via a will, intestacy, or real and personal property.

Previously, only probate assets were subject to an estate recovery of Medicaid costs. But now that joint accounts, annuities, life estate interests in deeds, and other assets are now subject to estate recovery, individuals and their loved ones need to get legal guidance to review their estate plans and protect their assets even more. The changes in New York are due to budget laws that were passed earlier in the year.

Since these regulations are so new, individuals should seek a qualified elder law attorney and estate planning attorney. If you already have a trust or deed with a life estate, a skilled estate planning lawyer can review your existing plans and assets too.

Littman Krooks LLP counsels individuals and families on how to access government benefits such as Medicaid while protecting assets. Our New York City, White Plains and Fishkill estate planning attorneys and elder law attorneys are accomplished in comprehensive estate planning including these new regulations, probate matters, and asset protection. To learn more about New York estate planning, visit http://www.littmankrooks.com/estate-planning/ or www.elderlawnewyork.com

Private Medicare special needs plans now have new quality improvement measures they must adhere to according to a recent announcement by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). These types of special needs plans (SNP) cover patients who have severe or disabling chronic conditions, are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and are oftentimes institutionalized. SNPs will be assessed on meeting an individual with special needs’ care requirements, including developing tailored plans for care and having a team of providers to implement it

In 2012 all SNPs will have to be approved by the National Committee on Quality Assurance. CMS wants to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of SNPs with these new requirements. By 2013, private Medicare plans that help low income patients who are dually eligible must enter into contracts with state Medicaid agencies.

For patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families, this news is encouraging and stands to improve the quality of care for this disorder that affects millions of elderly Americans. September is World Alzheimer’s Month and highlights the fact that the condition involves very expensive health care, coordination of government benefits, and an extended network of family and friends to support the individual and his or her caregivers.

A part of the CMS changes also eliminates Medicare prescription drug Part D enrollment penalties for patients who delay enrollment. Also, insurance agents and Medicare Advantage and Part D brokers have more regulations against switching coverage plans and giving out marketing gifts.

The New York special needs law firm Littman Krooks LLP has extensive experience with individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and helping their families take advantage of government benefits as well as proactively protect assets and plan for long-term care needs. Their New York City, White Plains or Fishkill Special Needs attorneys are skilled in assisting people with chronic conditions and disabilities. To learn more about New York special needs planning, visit http://www.littmankrooks.com/special-needs-planning.

Founded by Public Safety Officers, Project Lifesaver International (PLI), is an organization whose sole mission is to provide a timely response to save the lives of adults and children with Autism, Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome, Dementia, and other conditions, who wander. Started in 1999, PLI has offered public outreach programs to educate others about wandering. They have also provided equipment, training, certification and support to law enforcement and public safety officials through the country. These trainings include in-depth information on the use of specialized electronic search and rescue equipment technology and most importantly, how to communicate with people with cognitive or developmental conditions. PLI has over 1200 agencies in 45 participating states. They have performed 2,421 searches in the last 11 years with no serious injuries or fatalities ever reported.

How it works:

• If you are a family member or a caregiver of a loved one that wanders:  Call (757) 546-5502 or contact your local agency to enroll your loved one in Project Lifesaver to receive a small personal transmitter (which can be worn around an ankle or wrist) which emits an individualized tracking signal. If a registered client goes missing, the caregiver notifies their local Project Lifesaver agency, and a trained emergency team responds to the wanderer’s area. The recovery time for a person wearing a transmitter is approximately 30 minutes, (95% less time than a standard operational procedure).

Typical costs to enroll will vary by agency and location.   Ask your local agency if they participate in grant funding to find out about wristbands at discounted rates or at no charge.

• If you are an agency that would like to receive Project Lifesaver training: Submit a letter of intent to PLI. A sample letter of intent can be found here. Training can include two days of on-site instruction (for up to 15 people in your agency), provided by a State Coordinator or by PLI’s own staff. Each new agency will also receive training on Alzheimer’s, Autism, and other disorders, to help when responding to a missing client. Costs may vary on agency and location.

To learn more about New York elder law, New York estate planning, visit http://www.elderlawnewyork.com or http://www.littmankrooks.com

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