Unsupported Elders and Advocacy Services
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Unsupported Elders and Advocacy Services

Assisted Living, Aging

Unsupported Elders and Advocacy Services

Prior to starting my job as the Rothkoff Law Group Pennsylvania Client Services Director, where I work with many clients, including unsupported elders, I had plenty of experience in senior care, but I did not have any experience in the legal field. I was under the assumption that you meet with an elder care law attorney to have your will and powers of attorney prepared. I quickly realized that this could not be further from the truth. Outside of knowing my title, quite honestly, I was unaware of what my daily routine would be and what role I would play [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2021-11-09T16:52:52-05:00March 11, 2021|

Expanded Skilled Nursing Facility Medicare Coverage During the Pandemic
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Expanded Skilled Nursing Facility Medicare Coverage During the Pandemic

Assisted Living, Aging

Expanded Skilled Nursing Facility Medicare Coverage During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for nursing homes and their residents. Aside from the tragically disproportionate loss of life, care for surviving residents has been delayed or interrupted due to infection, facility lockdowns, or other health system disruptions. As a result, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has waived two limitations on Medicare Part A skilled nursing facility (SNF) coverage during the coronavirus pandemic: The 3-day qualifying hospital stay requirement; and The 100-day benefit period. However, CMS treats the two SNF coverage expansions differently from each other with regard to its connection to COVID-19. Three Day [...]

Jerold Rothkoff2024-03-08T12:31:28-05:00March 4, 2021|

Addressing the Needs of an Elderly Parent and Her Special Needs Adult Child
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Addressing the Needs of an Elderly Parent and Her Special Needs Adult Child

Assisted Living, Aging, Caregiver

Addressing the Needs of an Elderly Parent and Her Special Needs Adult Child

Mary’s mother and sister needed help. Lots of it. The sister, Violet, is developmentally disabled and needs 24-hour care. Janice, their mother, was Violet’s sole caregiver for over 50 years. Mary knew that Janice was becoming increasingly confused, but it seemed like she was still taking great care of Violet. Then, Janice and Violet went for a long walk that ended with them wandering into a local nursing home and Janice asking if they could move in. Alarmed, a manager at the facility called for help. Janice was admitted to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, and Janice was placed [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2021-11-09T18:49:23-05:00February 18, 2021|

Elder Law Planning: More Than Just Medicaid
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Elder Law Planning: More Than Just Medicaid

Estate Planning, Aging

Elder Law Planning: More Than Just Medicaid

When it comes to elder law planning, and when I meet with clients, the focus tends to be heavily centered on finances. When retirement accounts are dwindling due to a spouse’s high nursing home bill or a parent’s complex financial management style has left an adult child overwhelmed and confused, it is easy to become focused on Medicaid as the magic solution. However, Medicaid is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. A few years ago, I worked with the sister caregiver of a client who required long-term care. Due to the brother’s medical diagnoses and young age, his [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:31:59-05:00February 15, 2021|

Helping Seniors Stay Connected During the Surge
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Helping Seniors Stay Connected During the Surge

Aging, Healthy Aging

Helping Seniors Stay Connected During the Surge

Let's look at what we can be helping seniors stay connected during the pandemic surge. I think I was more upset about my father having Thanksgiving alone than he. My small family is scattered across the states, and it was not safe for us to be together. While I worry about my dad living solo, he sees friends, can handle facetime without tech support, and is the master of the pithy text. Not all seniors are faring as well. Physical and mental limitations cause many of our nation’s seniors to live in isolation. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:33:49-05:00December 1, 2020|

Is it Okay for Seniors to Have Elective Surgeries?
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Is it Okay for Seniors to Have Elective Surgeries?

Aging, Healthy Aging

Is it Okay for Seniors to Have Elective Surgeries?

Let's weigh the risks to seniors from elective surgeries during the pandemic. My 71-year old father lives in Maryland alone. I live in New Jersey and am his closest relative. (My brothers hightailed it to California years ago.) This past fall he had back surgery in Maryland. It was difficult to support him through the procedure and recovery from a distance, especially with two young children and a job. When he began discussing a long-overdue knee replacement, we decided he would have it done in New Jersey. The surgery was scheduled for March of this year. We were ready for [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:38:41-05:00July 14, 2020|

Life Lessons From Two Decades Advocating for Seniors
Life Lessons From Two Decades Advocating for Seniors

Healthy Aging, Estate Planning, Around the Office, Aging

Life Lessons From Two Decades Advocating for Seniors

On February 1, 2000, I began a journey to an unknown destination. On this day twenty years ago, I opened my elder care law office. If you were to tell me twenty years later we would expand to six offices in NJ and PA, employ thirty team members, including five attorneys and six geriatric social workers, establish groundbreaking elder care symposiums in NJ & PA, receive numerous awards and recognition for our firm’s advocacy for seniors, and teach other attorneys across the United States how to engage in legal advocacy for seniors, I would not have believed it. Last month, [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:41:08-05:00January 8, 2020|