ILS launches new project to help abused seniors
Indiana Legal Services Inc. has been awarded a two-year grant to help abused senior citizens across the state recover from or reduce the negative impact of abuse.
Elder Law
Articles
Adams: Setting standards for ‘silver tsunami’ preparedness
A popular topic in the media lately is the “silver tsunami” — the huge wave of baby boomers who will leave the workforce in the coming years and become eligible for the senior discount. The legal system needs to prepare today for the influx of issues that will wash ashore.
Attorneys create for-profit guardianship company
After about a year of thinking and planning, two Indianapolis attorneys launched Scout Guardianship Services Inc. in December 2015. This for-profit business can function as either a guardian, attorney in fact or health care representative for adults who want and have the financial assets to pay for these services.
Strained Adult Protective Services to get relief July 1, but stakeholders seek more aid
Adult Protective Services has only 28 investigators to look into reports of mistreatment of endangered Hoosiers, along with 18 district directors. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has pledged to release funds July 1 to hire 18 more investigators.
COA: 82-year-old can return home
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a decision by the Delaware Circuit Court that said an elderly woman needed 24-hour care supervision at a nursing facility and allowed her to return home after it found Adult Protective Services did not present sufficient evidence she was involved in a life-threatening emergency.
Project targets elderly in high-conflict families
Steuben County is a test site for a new eldercaring coordination program.
St. Joseph County gets $399,000 grant to fight elder abuse
St. Joseph County will receive a $399,000 Department of Justice grant for training and services designed to combat violence against elderly and vulnerable populations.
Nursing home chain to pay $38M in US settlement
A nursing home chain has agreed to pay $38 million to resolve allegations that it billed Medicare and Medicaid for substandard care at dozens of facilities around the country, the Justice Department said.
Guarding against undue influence
Changes in a person’s will and estate plan that vary from equal distribution of assets among heirs, as favored by law, should raise red flags, elder law attorneys say.
Attorneys give hospice patients peace of mind
Although a will may be described as “simple,” for patients in hospice care having a completed will and knowing their wishes are recorded in a legal document can bring a peace that makes the word “simple” seem like a misnomer.
Lawmakers put more teeth into consumer protection of Indiana seniors
Indiana seniors get some new consumer protections July 1. As a group, they also get a little younger.
Divided justices suspend attorney for 2 years
A Hancock County attorney was suspended for two years after the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in a 3-2 opinion that he charged unreasonable fees to an elderly client, converted funds belonging to her, and was dishonest before the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.
Filial statutes create questions about duty to support
A recent Pennsylvania court decision has spurred discussion among elder law attorneys about when an adult child may be found financially responsible for a parent’s long-term medical care.
Embracing elder law
As the general population ages, younger lawyers are attracted to serving seniors.
Judge: facility not exempt from property tax
The Indiana Tax Court has upheld the decision of the Indiana Board of Tax Review that a Tipton County assisted living facility failed to raise a prima facie case that it is exempt from property tax under Indiana Code 6-1.1-10-16.
Mediation could benefit familes with aging parents
When siblings can’t see eye-to-eye about how to care for their aging parents, families sometimes end up settling disputes in courtrooms. But elder care mediation can help families resolve conflicts before they become matters for litigation, if only more people knew about and used this option.
As boomers age, lawyers seeing new trends in estate and health care planning
Born between 1946 and 1964, baby boomers are not like generations that came before them with regard to estate-planning needs. Many of them are living longer and will be working longer – some by choice and others because the value of their retirement accounts has plunged in recent years. As they look toward their future, the boomers’ top concerns are asset protection and paying for long-term care, although each person may have a different approach about how to accomplish those goals.
Attorney helps senior citizens stay in their homes
Orville Copsey Jr. works for Indianapolis Legal Aid Society as a liaison between the elderly with housing issues and the Marion County Health Department’s attorneys and inspectors.
New national act would address adult guardianship matters
New law changes are on the horizon in order to create more uniform guardianship laws throughout the country and reduce conflicts between states.
Adult guardians sworn in
A swearing-in ceremony for the first class of the Wishard Volunteer Advocates Program took place Oct. 18 at Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis.