In This Issue

	Why I Practice Elder Law, Part II.
	If you answer yes to any of these questions, Hurley Elder Care Law can help
	Life Care Planning Goals
	The Nuts and Bolts Guide to VA Benefits

Why I Practice Elder Law, Part II.

	If you have been reading our newsletter, you may recall that in November of 2008 I wrote the first installment of Why I Practice Elder Law. Now that a few months have passed, here is the second installment. My first story was about “Da,” my mother’s father. This story is about his wife, my grandmother “Nannie.” Esther Crawford was born May 30, 1902 on the Doumecq Plain in rural Idaho. When I tell you that this is in the middle of nowhere, I am not kidding. The Doumecq Plain sits at the confluence of the Salmon and Snake Rivers and is one of the most beautiful places on earth. To this day, it is a rural farm area. Nannie attended the one room school house there and did fine academic work. When she finished her schooling in Idaho, she went off to college at what is now Washington State University. Amazingly, for a woman of her time, she completed a degree in biochemistry. With her degree in hand, she took off to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to become a researcher doing fieldwork to remove taste of wild onions from cows’ milk. It was there that she met Da and they were married in 1928. Shortly thereafter, her life became focused on family, especially her two daughters, and then of course, grandchildren.
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To attend our monthly Professionals’ Luncheon please call Louise Morris at 404-843-0121 or email her at lmorris@HurleyECLaw.com

If you answer yes to any of these questions, Hurley Elder Care Law can help.

		Has the elder been diagnosed with a mentally or physically debilitating disorder such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, stroke or a decline in functional capacity?
		Is the elder isolated due to the recent death of a spouse, or have family that either lives too far away or is too busy to provide adequate care?
		Is the elder soon to be discharged into a care facility or currently receiving in-home care?
		Does the elder have a variety of healthcare providers and need coordination and advocacy for quality care?
		Does the elder seem unusually concerned about costs of medication and services, indicating he or she may be having financial troubles?
		Does the elder have assets that fall between $50,000 and $400,000 – enough to finance a short stay in a care facility but not enough for an extended stay?
		Does the elder have a spouse whose financial needs must be considered in light of the elder’s medical condition?

Life Care Planning Goals

1. Meeting the elders’ immediate health care and long-term care needs.
2. Making sure the elder/family is making good health care and long-term care decisions.
3. Helping the elder/family sort through the maze of their long-term care options including residential options.
4. Identifying and accessing public benefits and resources to pay for care should the elder meet the qualifying criteria.
5. Help with asset management, including the burden of home ownership and personal property.
6. Providing the entire family the peace of mind that comes from knowing their loved one is monitored by a team that combines legal and financial expertise with specialized knowledge of the elder’s physical, mental and emotional health.
7. Ensuring the highest level of independence the elder can achieve, while ensuring safety.

Why I Practice Elder Law, Part II.

Again, I was fortunate as a child to have grown up living right next door to my grandmother. We spent many days baking in the kitchen. Nannie made my favorite treats and I always got to help. We made snicker doodles, rolled sugar cookies and divinity fudge. I really miss those days. There were also days of working in the large garden. There were always fresh fruits and vegetables to pick, such as green beans, okra, asparagus, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries and field peas just to name a few. The bounty was so great that one evening we brought in thirteen pounds of strawberries. When I didn't feel well, I always turned to Nannie because she had the softest lap. She would spend countless hours with me working jigsaw puzzles or playing card games. She was just fun to be around. Being around Nannie really taught me lessons about the generation who lived through the depression and World War II. Though I would never call my grandparents wealthy, they were “comfortable” – they always had enough to live on. (I really never knew how much they had until they had both passed away). However, being depression era folk, they never wasted a thing and wouldn’t consider hiring someone else to do a job they were capable of handling themselves. Nanny and Da would continually patch tears in pants, paint the entire house themselves, reuse aluminum foil and never replace furniture! These are things that we could all learn some lessons from. But the one thing that still sticks out in my mind was their house. It was made completely of cement, cinder block and brick. That being the case, the house did not breathe in the heat of the summer (of course, there was no central air conditioning, just a couple of window units). They never wanted to run the window units because they thought that the utility bill would be too high, so even when the temperature would approach 90, they would just sit and sweat. It certainly makes me think of the Seinfeld episode “Please Mrs. Seinfeld, turn on the air conditioning.” During my early adult years I moved away from my hometown and did not see Nannie very frequently, though I did talk with her and see her from time to time. She had been such a pillar in my life, I always thought she would be there. As the story goes, I did move back to Tennessee after law school and actually into Nannie’s house. (I brought my own air conditioner and offered to pay the extra amount on the power bill). I knew that Nannie was not the same as she had been when I was younger. She was moving slower. She was showing the effects of Parkinson’s disease. She just needed help with her activities of daily living. The one quote of hers that I will never forget came on the day that Da passed away. I was one of the first people to know that he had died and I actually had to go to the mortuary to identify the body. On the way to the mortuary, I stopped to see Nannie. She was obviously sad that he had passed away, but the way she described the situation was, “Well I guess you know, Da didn’t make it.” – So matter of fact, so typical and practical of Nannie. While I knew what she was saying, all I could think was, what does she mean he didn’t make it? He was 94 years old. It is funny how things stick with you. Shortly after Da had passed away, she became dreadfully sick. She ran a very high fever and was taken to the hospital. They medical staff had to put her under a cooling blanket to bring her temperature down. None of the doctors could figure out what the problem was. Finally after about a week, they discovered that her gall bladder had perforated her stomach. We were certainly happy that we knew what the problem was, but we were also concerned by the fact that she was going to have to have surgery. The surgery went fine. The gall bladder was removed and the perforation repaired. After some time for recovery, Nannie returned home. Shortly after her return, it became very apparent that her memory and dementia issues were substantially worse than they were prior to the surgery. Though I cannot substantiate it, I believe that being under general anesthesia after the age of 90 was the cause for the dramatic decline. She was never close to the same again. Nannie lived out her last several months with full time care. My Aunt Zoe took time away from her family and managed Nannie’s care. Zoe has a Ph.D in microbiology and was a tenured professor at the University of Texas – she doesn’t put up with any nonsense! It goes without saying that Nannie’s doctors jumped whenever Zoe came by to check on things. There is no doubt in my mind that Nannie’s last months were better than Da’s. She was able to stay out of the nursing home and she had the luxury of a family member actively managing her care. Even so, just seeing someone go through the slow decline with the loss of memory and ability is incredibly sad. Nannie was the daughter of pioneers and such a pioneer herself. From the one room schoolhouse in Idaho to a busy life in Knoxville, she built a legacy of warmth and compassion. Though I was not actually with her when she passed away, just being a part of her life through many of its stages has had a profound effect on me. Again, this is just one of the experiences that have led me into the world of life care planning and elder law. I do miss Nannie, but I have lots of wonderful memories.