Gainesville Florida Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog

Some people love their pets as much as they love their human family. While we take the time and effort to create estate plans that protect our family members, how often do we do the same thing to protect our furry loved ones? In our practice, we are seeing more and more of our clients who want to be sure that their pets are properly provided for in their estate planning. If you have concerns about your pet’s treatment after you pass away, we can help you make proper arrangements and to be sure your estate plan considers your pets.

I recently attended a seminar called Creating Estate Plans That Work for Pets and Their People. The presenter was my friend and colleague Peggy Hoyt who practices law in Central Florida.
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Talking about the end of life is arguably the most difficult challenge for any family. As a result, some never have the discussion, and the result is surviving family members are left making challenging decisions without any guidance.

For those who feel that having the conversation is impossible, there is an alternative – write a letter.

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For the longest time the treatment focus on Alzheimer’s has been to find ways to treat it effectively. But in the last year or so, there has been an increased effort on preventing Alzheimer’s and other related dementias.

While there was much media coverage in 2016 about a highly touted experimental drug that failed in its effort to prevent the disease, that has not changed the current push to find a cure.

The Alzheimer’s Association launched a campaign last year to promote the concept of the first Alzheimer’s survivor.

And while the results of the recent drug testing were disappointing, that has not deterred other scientists from finding a medicine that can slow or stop the progress of brain degeneration.
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We all know that most young people believe in living in the now and not worrying about what the future might bring. But interaction between five journalism students and five retirees changed the students’ perspective, as reported in a recent New York Times article.

The students’ assignment was to find out from five retirees what they wished they knew when they were the ages of the students. The retirees ranged in age from 58 to 93.

We have written here many times about financial elder abuse focusing on both the emotional and financial implications. Unfortunately, financial elder abuse is not abating. In fact, it is growing.

In only the last two years financial elder abuse in the United States has grown by 20 percent, according to the recently published 2016 Safeguarding Our Seniors Study from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America.

The findings of the study show that the average cost per victim of elder financial abuse has risen from $30,000 in 2014 to $36,000.
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So some time ago, you may have circled 2017 on a calendar and said this is the retirement year. And you did the best you could in terms of saving to prepare for this special year.

The good news is research is showing that people are doing a much better job saving for retirement. A USA Today article published in early February cited multiple studies indicating that 401 (k) plan assets were hitting record highs, people were borrowing from them less and that people were saving more for retirement.

If you are part of that trend, keep it up.
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We have asked that question many times here in these articles, and it’s a common query whenever we have the opportunity to speak to local groups.

It is startling to hear the response. Most of the people we talk to don’t have a will. And that corresponds with a number of national surveys, including one report released in the last few days by California-based Caring.com.
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If you have a child with intellectual disabilities, it is extremely important that you have your child IQ tested before age 18.

This is not suggested for any frivolous reason. If your child has a recognized intellectual disability, he or she may be eligible for a Medicaid waiver. That would allow your special-needs child to receive community-based assistance and likely avoid institutional living. But securing that waiver is not easy because there is a long waiting list, and it could take several years to get to the top unless there is a crisis.
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The most important person when it comes to caring for an elderly family member is the primary caregiver. In many cases, if the primary caregiver becomes unable to continue in that role, the whole system falls apart.

Surveys by both AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving indicate that the most typical family caregiver is a woman just under 50 years old, who is caring for an older relative.  Approximately one-third of primary caregivers have full-time jobs and another 25 percent have part-time jobs.  Most say they provided at least 20 or more hours a week caregiving.
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A recent study done by researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston came up with some interesting but not very surprising results. Families are more satisfied with end-of-life care and treatment when it includes hospice.

The good news for those dealing with older loved ones with end-of-life-care issues is that we are blessed to have excellent hospice care in our community.

Nearly 2,000 family members who had loved ones pass away from cancer-related illness participated in the research survey. Half of them had family members who received hospice care.
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Are you thinking that 2017 may be the year of your retirement? If you are somewhere between 65 and 70, that may be the right decision. But if you’re closer to 62, you may want to consider your options.

You can retire at 62 and start to receive benefits from Social Security. But those benefits will be less than they would be if you wait a few years. And those lower benefits are permanent.
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