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By Elder Care Attorney Rick Law of the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law in Aurora, Illinois The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that one in eight Americans older than age 65, approximately 5.4 million people are currently afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Because Alzheimer’s disease is underdiagnosed and many people with Alzheimer’s may think that they are just experiencing the normal issues associated with growing older, many of the afflicted are unaware that they have the disease. As our population ages and people live longer, it is only natural to assume that the numbers of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease will grow. In fact, the Alzheimer’s Association predicts that the annual incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias will double by the year 2050. The baby boomers are entering the age brackets where they will be in greater danger of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The first baby boomers turned 65 in 2011. It is estimated that the population of those 65 years old and older will double to 71 million by 2030. Those senior citizens will make up 20 percent of the total population at that time. When the first baby boomers turn 85 years old in 2031, the number of people 85 years old and older is expected to reach 3.5 million, up from 2.5 million in 2012. Alzheimer’s breakdown by age:
  • under 65 years old = 4 percent affected
  • 65 to 74 years old = 6 percent
  • 75 to 84 years old = 44 percent
  • 85 years old and older = 46 percent
Every 68 seconds a new case of Alzheimer’s develops in America. However, that rate is estimated to double by mid-century, with a new case developing every 33 seconds. The time to become educated about Alzheimer’s is now. If the Alzheimer’s Association’s future projections are even close to accurate, we are about to witness an explosion of new cases of the disease. There were an estimated 411,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease in 2000. That number was estimated to increase by 10 percent to 454,000 by 2010. By 2030, it is projected that there will be 615,000 new cases, a 50 percent increase from 2000. By 2050, it is believed that there will be 959,000 new cases, a 130 percent increase from 2000. By 2025, the number of people 65 years old and older with Alzheimer’s is estimated to reach 6.7 million, nearly a 30 percent increase in just 15 years. By 2050, the number of people 65 years old and older with Alzheimer’s may double or triple to a projected 11 million to 16 million, unless a medical breakthrough is developed to prevent, slow, or stop the disease. By 2050, it is estimated that the number of Americans 85 years old and older will nearly quadruple to 21 million.48 In fact, between 2010 and 2050, Americans 85 years old and up are expected to increase from 15 percent of all older people in the United States to 24 percent. Getting the appropriate legal documents in place early, while still able to take part in the decision-making process, is a crucial step. It allows those afflicted a better opportunity to have their wishes honored, and can help protect the family. If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.   Call 800-310-3100 for your free consultation now!
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By Rick Law, Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney in Western Chicagoland, IL.  Founder of the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured, or even slowed. Based on final mortality data from 2000 to 2008, death rates have declined for most major diseases—heart disease (-13 percent), breast cancer (-3 percent), prostate cancer (-8 percent), stroke (-20 percent), and HIV/AIDS (-29 percent)—while deaths from Alzheimer’s disease have risen 66 percent during the same period. Only about 6 percent of people with Alzheimer’s (and related disorders) actually make it to the end stage of the disease. The most easily identifiable sign that someone is dying from Alzheimer’s and related disorders is when he or she can no longer swallow safely (without aspiration) and has chosen not to use a feeding tube (often a legal issue unto itself!). If clients are not allowed to take oral nutrition or hydration safely, they are unlikely to survive for a long period of time. It is not uncommon for people in the final stages of Alzheimer’s to reach the point where they do not want to go to the hospital again.  When that happens, hospice can help them achieve a “wonderful death.” According to one hospice nurse: “The three essential elements to providing a wonderful death are the collaborative efforts of the family, the assisted-living staff, and the hospice personnel -which then allows our residents to stay in their home environment with friends and familiar caregivers and peacefully live out the end of their lives. I have been part of several end-of-life decisions with our residents. I am richer for it and tremendously grateful to have shared with the resident and his or her family some wonderful deaths.” If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  Call 800-310-3100 for your free consultation now! .
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By Rick Law, Estate planning attorney and senior advocate of the estate planning center at Law Elder Law in Aurora, IL. Jo Huey is the owner of the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Institute and knows first hand the difficulties that families face when a loved one has Alzheimer’s.  Jo’s mother was 84 years old and had vascular dementia. She hated going to the hospital ER, which was the legal procedure required if she became ill in the assisted-living community where she lived. When she went to the ER, Jo would hurry there from out of state.  Until Jo arrived, one of the relatives (sometimes Jo’s sister who also had medical POA) would accompany Jo’s mother at the ER.  They would have the “doctor/attending ER physician/medical residency student” call and talk to Jo because the family did not want her mother to have to endure the extensive diagnostic procedures that terrified her. An angry physician in August 2006 told Jo that he was trained to “treat” people in the ER and if Jo wanted to decline treatment for her mother, then she should put her mother in hospice and stop bringing her to the ER. Jo called hospice and learned that her mother qualified for the service. Her doctor was willing to sign for it and she was recertified again in six months. She happened to be doing quite well in August of 2007 when the recertification came up again. Although she still qualified, a physician’s signature was required for recertification. This time, the physician declined to recertify her because “she could live another 10 years.” Jo called the physician, who was someone with whom Jo had grown up, and asked him why he wouldn’t recertify, and he gave her the same answer.  So, Jo asked him what to do about ER and extensive diagnostic procedures and he said something to the effect of, “You can just come here and stop those things or tell the facility not to send her to the ER.”  But Jo knew the legal procedure the facility was required to follow was to send her mother to the ER when she became ill. When Jo told him her mother qualified for hospice, he angrily accused Jo of “using the system”.  Jo retorted, “Even if we were using the system, it is none of your business that I want her to have hospice.” When the doctor asked Jo how she was going to do that without his signature, Jo told him that she would immediately change doctors, “Without a signature you will be getting a fax to transfer records in the next 15 minutes.” He was furious and signed the hospice certification. Just 19 days later, Jo’s mother died in her sleep following a massive stroke and four days of being comatose. She died in her own bed in the assisted-living community where she had been dancing and smiling less than a week prior. After this harrowing experience, Jo stresses the importance consulting an attorney who can individualize situations to meet the specific needs and desires of the person with Alzheimer’s disease and the loved ones who are responsible for the decisions when the person can no longer make them alone. If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  Call 800-310-3100 for your free consultation now!
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By Rick Law, Senior advocate and estate planning attorney at Law Elder Law in Chicagoland. Jo Huey, the owner of the Alzheimer’s Caregiver Institute, warns us that the symptoms that signify that a patient is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease can be as varied as the individuals and their personalities and may be affected by other unrelated health conditions. With that fact in mind, Jo notes that there have to be some guidelines to follow. According to Jo, only about 6 percent of people with Alzheimer’s (and related disorders) actually make it to the end stage of the disease. The most easily identifiable sign that someone is dying from Alzheimer’s and related disorders is when he or she can no longer swallow safely (without aspiration) and has chosen not to use a feeding tube (often a legal issue of its own). If an Alzheimer’s patient is not allowed to take oral nutrition or hydration safely, they are unlikely to survive for a long period of time. It is advisable, at the very least, to have a speech therapist make this determination. Jo says the second most common qualifier for hospice is when there is a significant weight loss even though the person is eating meals regularly. She notes that the majority of people with Alzheimer’s and related disorders actually die from infection. Common examples are
  1. Sepsis from undiagnosed urinary tract infection or other infection (abscessed tooth, etc.) that creates an infection in the blood and can’t be stopped if it has progressed too far; and
  2. Pneumonia, sometimes from aspiration or an illness or virus; because the clients cannot communicate their illness, it goes undetected until it has progressed too far.
If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  
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By Elder Law Attorney Rick Law.  Based in suburban Aurora, IL, Rick and the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law provide Guardianship, Wills, Trusts, Medicaid Planning, and much more. Hospice care is a team approach to caring for an individual in the final stages of a terminal illness, such as Alzheimer’s. The goal of hospice care is to provide comfort, reassurance, and support for dying patients and their families and friends. Qualifications for hospice care require a physician’s prognosis that the patient only has a life expectancy of six months. The point of hospice care is not to attempt to cure the illness, but to comfort the patient, lessen the pain, and help all involved deal with the inevitable death. Hospice care focuses on “dying well.” Medicare usually covers charges for hospice services for qualified patients, and most hospice program requirements conform to Medicare and National Hospice Association Guidelines. Because of the emotional attachment that family members typically have, it may be difficult to identify (or admit) when it is time for hospice care. It is a good idea to seek counsel and explore the possibility of hospice care before it is needed so that the clients do not have to deal with this at the most emotional point of the journey. This means discussing hospice criteria with the patient’s doctor to see how willing the doctor is to certify a patient for a hospice program. Sadly, Alzheimer’s is terminal, and all sufferers reach the point where the only thing left to do is to comfort and prepare them as best as possible for death. Too many families needlessly lose everything they have.  Don’t let that be you.  If you need help building a fortress around your estate to protect it from creditors, predators, and the cost of chronic disease, give our office a call at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  
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By Rick Law of Law Elder Law.  Estate Planning services and senior advocates in Aurora, IL — Right off the I-88 Farnsworth Exit. When you are trying to find the right facility for your loved one, staff training is an important area to examine. Staff in special care units should take specialized training courses in order to be able to encourage the residents’ independence and help them realize the maximum potential of their mental and physical abilities as their dementia progresses. Special units often come at an added price. Here are a few questions to ask:
  • Does the facility confirm all incoming residents’ Alzheimer’s diagnosis?
  • Is the staff aware of the progressive nature of Alzheimer’s disease, and how do they address the expected changes in the mental and physical abilities of the residents?
  • Are all of the employees in the special unit (the housekeepers, maintenance workers, etc.) given some training regarding Alzheimer’s?
  • Are the buildings and grounds designed for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease?
  • Are the resident activities appropriate for people with Alzheimer’s?
It is important to realize early on in the nursing home search that this type of care is expensive. Fees can be as expensive as $100,000 per year or more. Most insurance plans do not cover this type of long-term care and neither does Medicare. Fortunately, Medicaid is available for qualified individuals. Medicaid is a federally funded, state-administered medical assistance program. Too many families needlessly lose everything they have.  Don’t let that be you.  If you need help building a fortress around your estate to protect it from creditors, predators, and the cost of chronic disease, give our office a call at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now, because when you’re out of money, you’re out of options! Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  
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 By Rick Law of the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law. Estate planners and senior advocates in the western suburbs of Chicago in Illinois. When your loved one with dementia reaches the point where they can no longer live at home, it can be one of the hardest decisions you ever have to make. Thankfully, there are often ways a qualified elder law attorney can help the ailing family through this difficult time. Having a plan and knowing the right questions to ask beforehand will allow you and your family to make a more informed decision. If there are options available in your area, it is a good idea to visit several different facilities before narrowing down the choices. Once a few facilities that stand out have been identified, try visiting each one several times, preferably at different times in the day and at least once during a meal. It is also important to find a nursing home with an Alzheimer’s special care unit. People with Alzheimer’s disease have a tendency to wander off and can easily get lost, confused, and scared. Some special care units accommodate this behavior by providing a safe area to wander in, in the form of a walled-in garden or yard. If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  
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By Rick Law of the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law.  Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts, Probate, Guardianship, and Elder Law in Aurora, Illinois. By helping our clients work their way through their options, the estate planning team at Law Elder Law can better assist in finding the best choice for their loved one. Assisted-living facilities can be the right choice for people suffering from Alzheimer’s when skilled nursing is not yet needed.  It can be a step before a nursing home. Moving a loved one into one of these facilities often allows the healthy spouse to better cope with the difficulties of caretaking for the spouse with the disease. Assisted-living facility contracts are very similar to apartment leases.  However, a year long contract can be problematic for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. The progression of dementia is different for everyone and can be incredibly fast. Someone could be in the early stages of Alzheimer’s at the beginning of the contract term but need more extensive care, such as a nursing home, well before the year is over.  Leases should be reviewed carefully to determine options if your loved one needs skilled care before the lease term expires. If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  
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By Elder Law Estate Planner Rick Law of Law Elder Law.  Providing  wills, trusts, estate plans, guardianship, probate, and more. Adult day care is typically a stage between independent living and living in a nursing home. The ailing individual and their family decision makers usually visit a few facilities prior to picking one to ensure the program offered is what their loved one requires at this stage of the Alzheimer’s journey. Clients’ family members and/or decision makers should look for the following:
  • Is the program licensed? Check with your state’s guidelines to see what type of license is required.
  • Is the atmosphere friendly? Your loved one should be as comfortable as possible.
  • What medical care is available?
  • Are the activities aimed at socialization and mental stimulation?
  • What is the staffing level? Generally, it’s good to aim for one staff member per four adults in adult day care.
  • Is the program exclusively for people suffering from dementia?
  • Is a contract necessary? Alzheimer’s progresses at unpredictable rates, so avoid you may want to avoid long contracts.
There may come a point in time when your loved one may need to be placed in an assisted-living facility. This can be a very personal decision. Individuals in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease often wander off and can become lost, and that is when most families consider assisted-living options. Older people with dementia who live alone are more likely to need emergency medical services because of self-neglect. Overall, people with dementia who live alone are at a greater risk of accidental death than those living with others. This may be due to lack of recognition of harm and delays in seeking medical help. Assisted-living facilities can be the right choice for people suffering from Alzheimer’s when skilled nursing is not yet needed—a step before a nursing home. Moving a loved one into one of these facilities often allows the healthy spouse to better cope with the difficulties of caretaking for the spouse with the disease. These are some of the questions to ask about the facility to ensure they are making an informed choice:
  • Is the facility licensed? Check with the state’s guidelines to see what kind of licensing is required.
  • What is the environment like? What are the common areas like? Is there an enclosed yard or patio that is a safe area that an Alzheimer’s patient could not wander away from?
  • What kinds of activities are offered? Ask to see the activities calendar. Is there a full-time activities director? It is important to find a place that offers a wide variety of activities to provide social interaction and mental stimulation.
  • What is the staff to patient ratio? Generally, look for one certified nurse’s aide (CNA) per five residents during the day, and a ratio of 1:10 at night.
  • How well trained are the staff? Look for a facility where staff instruction includes interaction with an instructor, group discussions, and role-playing activities to ensure a quality staff that is ready to help a loved one.
  • Does the facility have a special Alzheimer’s unit? Some facilities have residents with a variety of needs, while others have a unit for people with dementia, and others are completely dedicated to residents with dementia. The best choice may be a facility with a special care unit devoted to residents suffering from dementia. In these facilities, the staff is more experienced in handling people with dementia and more extensive care can be provided. Integrated units that have residents with dementia mixed in with otherwise healthy residents can cause problems for the residents with dementia because they may be excluded from group activities due to disruptions just when they need socialization and mental stimulation the most.
If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  
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“By Elder Law and Estate Planning Attorney Rick Law of the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law in Aurora, IL. When your loved one with Alzheimer’s needs help but is fighting back, it can be very hard on your family.  At a certain point, additional help is often needed. One option is to take advantage of a respite care program. These programs offer substitute caregivers and are designed to provide temporary relief for the primary caregiver from day-to-day responsibilities. Some respite programs involve paid health aides, while others may use volunteers from churches or other groups. If more intensive help is required, another option is home-based care, using a health aide to provide custodial care in the home of the patient. This can be a good option when the primary caregiver is also elderly. This may allow your loved one to keep their independence for as long as possible and continue to live in their home. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover home health aides who provide custodial care, which is the type of care an individual with Alzheimer’s typically needs. Custodial care involves bathing, dressing, help with the housekeeping and grocery shopping, and occasionally staying overnight when needed. Medicaid may cover portions of custodial services through a waiver program. Because the services available through the waiver program vary greatly state by state, those interested should contact their state office on aging for information. A third option is adult day care. This option is great for situations in which the primary caregiver (perhaps an adult child) still works, but wants to keep the individual suffering from Alzheimer’s in the home. Adult day care programs provide socialization and therapeutic activities that may slow the mental decline brought on by Alzheimer’s. Often these programs offer different levels of care ranging from one half day per week to full-time care Monday through Friday. If your loved one has memory problems and you’re afraid of the consequences that may bring, give our office a call today at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  
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