
How Does Guardianship Work?
If you haven’t had any experience with guardianship for adults with dementia, it’s likely you don’t understand just how complex it is. You are not alone.
If you haven’t had any experience with guardianship for adults with dementia, it’s likely you don’t understand just how complex it is. You are not alone.
According to the WHO, one in six people over the age of 60 experienced some form of abuse from 2021 to 2022. Two-thirds of staff members at nursing homes and long-term-care facilities admitted they committed abuse during that same period.
Almost half a million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease will be diagnosed this year in the United States, according to the BrightFocus Foundation. Worldwide, someone develops some form of dementia every three seconds.
What types of decisions have you and your loved ones made, or avoided making, about planning for the years ahead?
Although laws vary from state to state, every state requires that less restrictive alternatives be considered before invoking a guardianship. These might include such vehicles as limited guardianships, powers of attorney or assisted decision-making agreements.
The prevalence of elder abuse is hard to estimate because it is underreported. However, according to the National Council on Aging, approximately one in 10 Americans age 60 or older have experienced some form of elder abuse— be it physical, emotional, psychological or financial.
The three main areas of focus for elder law attorneys include health care, estate and tax planning and guardianship matters.
So, what happens with your estate plans if you are not in a traditional nuclear family? There is quite a lot that can fall under the umbrella of a non-traditional family, and the recommendations will vary depending on your specific circumstances.
In this article, we will address two terms which some people use interchangeably, but which are very different things: living trusts and estate plans.
“Gray divorce” — the unfortunately named term for divorce after age 50 — is increasing among baby boomers.