Attorneys at Law
One North LaSalle Street
Suite 1700
Chicago, IL 60602
312-899-0950
ElderLaw News is a monthly e-newsletter that brings you
reports of legal developments and other trends of vital interest to
seniors and their advocates. This newsletter is brought to you by Janna
Dutton & Associates, P.C..
Medicare's
coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. Medicare covers up to 100
days of "skilled nursing care" per illness, but there are a
number of requirements that must be met before the nursing home stay will
be covered. The result of these requirements is that Medicare recipients
are often discharged from a nursing home before they are ready.
Lack of Power of Attorney Stops Daughter's Nursing
Home Suit
A
decision by Mississippi's highest court illustrates the importance of
having a power of attorney. A daughter tried to sue a nursing home for
what she believed was its improper care of her mother. The daughter was
unable to proceed with her suit because she did not have a power of
attorney allowing her to obtain her mother's medical records.
BOOK REVIEW: Coping with Your Difficult Older
Parent.
Many
books deal with the physical ailments of aging. In this one, two clinical
social workers address the challenges for adult children of coping with
parents whose emotional reserves may be stretched thin by the aging
process.
Medicaid Proposes Allowing Recipients to Direct Own
Home Care
Medicaid
beneficiaries who need help living at home could soon choose to receive a
cash allowance to hire their own home care workers or even pay a family
member to deliver their care.
Lawsuits Claim Elderly Should Be Protected From Their
Bad Decisions
In
the last few years, according to a front-page article in the New York
Times, thousands of older Americans have filed lawsuits arguing that
broadly-worded elder abuse statutes create special protections that
shield them from their unwise decisions, even though those decisions were
freely made.
