By Rick Law, elder care attorney and estate planner at the Estate Planning Center of Law Elder Law in Aurora, serving Kane, Kendall, DuPage, Will, Cook, and other counties in Northern Illinois. Almost every day I learn more about the subtleties and surprises within the elder care journey. At Law Elder Law we often work with families who have a loved one affected by some type of dementia. About 7 years ago, I had the opportunity to hear University of Pennsylvania neurologist Dr. Jason Karlawish speak to a group of lawyers about clients who may have Alzheimer’s disease or some other type of dementia.  As we non-medical people observe folks with memory loss, we assume that the individual is losing his or her memory on a constant downward sliding path.  According to Dr. Karlawish, however, that is not the right way to think about memory loss. Dr. Karlawish taught me that I need to change the way I look at memory loss.  He helped me understand that different brain functions are affected with differing rates of decline. “Attorneys are linear thinkers. You are trained to think in a linear and logical fashion, and so you believe that if your clients can give the correct answer to a fact based question, then they are still capable.  You assume that if they know that 2+2=4, then they are capable of managing their affairs.” He shook his head and stated, “Nothing could be further from the truth.” It turns out, someone who is suffering from dementia can retain their linear thinking, but lose their ability to comprehend the consequences of what that answer means. As I listened to him speak, it hit me that this was exactly what was happening with one of my clients. This client was responsibly caring for his wife, but the family was continually calling to tell me that “Bill” was making foolish decisions with money, and it was running out at a frightening rate. But when Bill came into my office, nothing seemed to be wrong; he drove himself, he brought his accounting books and we would go over his records together. He seemed capable of handling all his affairs because he gave me all the right answers. Nonetheless, within the next day or two he would do something as bizarre as hiring an $800 ambulance service to get his wife to her weekly hair appointment. Suddenly I realized that although Bill was able to tell me how much was in his bank account, he could no longer understand the meaning of those numbers. 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 has been named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney for the past 8 years in a row 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!

By Rick Law, J.D. founder of the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law.  Rick and daughter/attorney partner Diana Law are part of the caring team at Law Elder Law. Serving seniors, boomers, and their families in West suburban Chicagoland in Illinois. It is not uncommon, when talking to a man about the possibility of old age decline, to have him say things such as:

• “My dad died at sixty of a heart attack–I’m sure I’m not going to live any longer than that.”
• “I won’t rust out, I’ll burn out.”
• “Before I’ll go to a nursing home I’ll put the muzzle of a gun in my mouth!”
• “I’m gonna keep going until one day I just drop in the harness.”

According to a survey conducted by the New York times, nationwide evidence tells us that the long-term care burden overwhelmingly falls on the women of the family.  In their youth men are generally physically stronger than women, but as they age they decline more quickly.  Compounding the problem, men often cling to a machismo that causes them to deny their own mortality and to under-appreciate the catastrophic burden that old-age frailty will place on their wives or children. It seems to be a natural part of being male to assume that bad things happen to other people, not to yourself.  The result of this attitude is that the women of the family are faced with caring for more and more frail men who have either refused to purchase long-term care insurance, or refused to modify their lifestyles to minimize the possibility of chronic illness.  Women are forced to exhaust their own financial and physical resources to care for their men. By the time the first spouse dies, the caregiver spouse is often depleted both physically and financially.  She has no reserves as she faces her own long-term care crisis. As elder law and estate planning attorneys, we strive to help rescue the embattled caregiver.  Survivor spouse preservation is one of our key goals when working with a couple to plan ahead, and those who are already faced with nursing home challenges. At Law Elder Law, we recognize the contribution of the women who carry the burden of their own parents, their husbands’ frail parents, and/or their own husbands. Too many families needlessly lose everything they have.  Don’t let that be you.  If you need help paying the overwhelming cost of long term care, 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.  Call 800-310-3100 for your free consultation now!