It is not uncommon for my office to receive a call from a panicked family member of an elderly individual. The call may go something like this:
Caller: Hi, I'm calling to see how much it costs to get some estate planning done for my mom.
Paralegal: We'd be happy to help you if we can. Why don't you first tell me a little bit about your mom.
Caller: Okay. Well, mom's not doing too well these days. She's in an assisted living facility and mostly doesn't recognize us anymore. Although she sometimes has good days, most of the time she's confused and is asking for her husband who died three years ago.
Paralegal: Okay. What kind of property does your mom have?
Caller: Well, she has a home that's paid for. She has a brokerage account, a checking and savings account, some farm land in Tooele and I think she has some municipal bonds that she invested in once. But I'm not really sure.
Paralegal: Does your mom know what property she owns and does she understand its value?
Caller: Oh heavens no! She put me on her checking account years ago because she was so overwhelmed with trying to manage her finances. I don't think she has a clue how much she owns, nor could she keep it straight even if we told her.
Paralegal: I think we can help you, but you'll need to meet with an attorney to discuss some of the legal implications of your mother's situation.
Although this above excerpted conversation is a fictitious example, and a very abbreviated one at that, it illustrates a trap that many people fall into with regard to estate planning.
The LA Times recently ran an 
The federal government is working frantically to decrease spending in 2011 by making sweeping cuts to numerous federally funded programs, in order to avoid a government shutdown. Unfortunately, many of the changes proposed will negatively impact seniors. The cuts began in House Resolution 1 (HR 1), passed by the House last month as a long term continuing resolution to cut fiscal spending this year and keep the federal government from shutting down. But 2011 spending cuts are only the beginning. Next, focus will turn to the 2012 budget where a new round of cuts will likely take place, with potential far-reaching negative impacts on seniors. 
Financial exploitation of the elderly is increasingly common today. Some estimates put the number of individuals who have had money stolen directly from their bank accounts at around 2 million just last year, with an average of $1,200 stolen per person.
historian, he recorded the oral histories of Jewish Holocaust survivors. He spent a great deal of time with members of the Phoenix-area Jewish community capturing their memories and experiences of one of the darkest periods of human history.
An 
Welcome to the Utah Elder Law Blog! My intent here is to provide reliable, understandable and current information on the legal issues that impact Utahns who are aging, have aging family members or friends, or who are in denial about their own mortality, but are nevertheless curious about the legal issues facing "all those old people" out there.
RSS