News
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. [...]
Personal Reflections on Being Thankful in the Face of the Pandemic
As a Director of Care Coordination of Rothkoff Law Group, I have unfortunately witnessed how the current pandemic has affected the lives of so many vulnerable older adults. As we still digest our Thanksgiving dinner and prepare for the holiday season before us, many people (myself included) are facing the disappointment, anger, and grief of not being able to spend the holidays with our loved ones as we have in years past. Sure, I had my own personal woes that I can attribute to “typical 2020;” but I have reflected on the last few months and realize that despite all the [...]
Can Nursing Home Residents Leave the Facility for the Holiday
Can and should nursing home residents leave the facility for the holiday? If a resident decides to leave the facility for the holiday, CMS recommends certain actions when the resident returns. Consider this scenario: A client was in a local nursing home for a rehabilitation stay following a fall resulting in hospitalization. His spouse communicated that her husband wanted to come home for the day to spend Thanksgiving Day with his family, and would be devastated if he was unable to due so for health reasons. The nursing home originally informed our client that her husband would lose his Medicare [...]
There is No Place for Politics in Elder Care Law
It is my personal opinion that there is no place for politics in elder care law. I recently discussed the election during a dinner conversation with a friend. We discussed our political views and opinions. He correctly observed he never sees political opinions on my Facebook or LinkedIn pages. He inquired why I chose not to engage in a political discussion, suggesting whether it was because I wanted to be perceived as apolitical from a business perspective. In a way, he was right, but not for the reasons he thought. Many years ago, I represented an elderly stroke survivor whose [...]
PA and NJ Long Term Care Visitation Guidelines
Let's take a moment to review the new PA and NJ Long Term Care Visitation Guidelines that have been established post COVID. It has been a very difficult eight plus months for both loved ones and residents of long-term care communities (LTC), referring to residents in assisted living, personal care homes and nursing homes). Social isolation has taken an extreme toll on the residents. During the past few months, many family members have taken advantage of outside visits with residents. However, as the weather turns colder and with the holiday season forthcoming, many families are concerned about the ability to [...]
Symposium 2.0: Virtually Connected: A Revamped Four Part Virtual Series; Focusing on the Future of Elder Care
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty as to the public health situation in the fall, we have decided to combine both the NJ & PA 2020 Rothkoff Law Elder Care Symposiums into a new virtual online platform. We will have a four-part series for the Symposiums beginning in September. Please save the dates shown at right. More details to come over the coming months. SAVE THE DATES 12:00 - 2:00 PM 9/24/2020 10/8/2020 10/22/2020 11/19/2020
Rothkoff Law Group’s “Chalk Squad” Brings Some Joy to Long-Term Care Workers
Rothkoff Law Group teamed with Barclays Rehabilitation and Health Care Center by chalking the sidewalk outside long-term care communities in our area. Thank you to Elizabeth Solitro of Barclays and Rothkoff Law’s own Chelsea Ganssle for being the “chalk squad” and helping to bring some joy to our hard-working long-term care workers. CBS3 in Philadelphia did a story on the “chalk squad” in early June.
Town Hall with Eloy Van Hal: The Future of Senior Care After COVID–19
On June 24, Rothkoff Law Group hosted a virtual “town hall” conversation with Eloy van Hal, the co-founder of the Netherlands’ Dementia Village. Eloy discussed the value of small scale senior housing and implementing the concept in the United States. COVID-19 has exposed the cracks in our tenuous system of providing and funding long-term care. Comprehensive long-term care reform is needed more than ever before. An important piece of this reform is having more safe, affordable residential care options, including smaller scale residential models. Such residential housing models already exist in the Netherlands with the Dementia Village concept. You can view highlights [...]
The Value of Gratitude
By Jerold E. Rothkoff Recently, my daughter, age 22, witnessed me writing thank you notes that I usually write on an average weekend. She innocently asked why I write the thank you notes. I have been handwriting thank you notes for over 15 years to clients, their caregiver loved ones, referral sources, and professional friends. I probably write between 8-12 thank you notes each week. I explained to my daughter the importance of showing gratitude. People value being thought of, and a handwritten thank you note shows their gesture was important to you. I admit during the past several months [...]
Rothkoff Law Group Adapts Well to Operational Changes
By Jacinda Graham, Client Services Director I am proud to report that the team at Rothkoff Law Group has adapted well to operational changes required by the COVID-19 pandemic. Life has changed for all of us. For the safety of ourselves and those we care about, we have been forced to distance from our friends, family, clients, professional partners, and our co-workers. Like most small businesses during this time, Rothkoff Elder Care Law Group was forced to change the way we do business and find a ‘new normal’. Operational Changes at Rothkoff Law Group Our new normal entailed almost our [...]
A Message from Jerold E. Rothkoff
To Our Professional Partners, Clients, and Consumers: During the past four months, we all needed to change the way we do business, communicate with one another, and continue to provide necessary services. For our elder care office, the challenge was how to continue to be a valuable resource for both consumers and professionals. Through the hard work and commitment of our entire Rothkoff Elder Care Law team, we have implemented the following during the past several months: Facilitated weekly long-term care professional networking Zoom calls during which we offered educational opportunities. Transitioned all of our in-person professional and consumers seminars [...]
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 [...]
Bryan Adler, Esq. Voted Daily Times Best Lawyer
For the last six years the readers of the Delaware County Daily Times, cast their votes for the Best Lawyers in Delaware County. This year they received thousands of online votes from peers and readers of Daily Times. The Annual Best Lawyers Reader Choice section was published March 31, 2020, which included Bryan Adler, Esq., of Rothkoff Law Group. Rothkoff Law Group continues to expand its footprint as they opened its sixth office in Radnor just over a year ago to better serve residents of Delaware and Chester Counties. Congratulations Bryan!
Rothkoff Law Group’s 20th Anniversary
Over 80 people, including current and former staff along with their guests gathered at a Center City Philadelphia restaurant on January 17, 2020 to celebrate our firm’s 20th anniversary. At the celebration, Jerry Rothkoff’s message to all those attending was “You are only as good as the people you associate with. Thank you to our entire elder care law team, our clients, and their families for your hard work, dedication, and faith in our office over the past twenty years. We look forward to many more years of doing what we do – advocating for our clients and their caregiver [...]
Rothkoff Law Was Well Represented at San Diego Conference
On March 4-6, 2020, 12 Rothkoff Law team members attended the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association (LCPLFA) annual conference in San Diego, CA. The Rothkoff team had the largest representation of any law firm in the country. Jerry Rothkoff was asked by a conference attendee if he found value in bringing a dozen of his team across the country for three days. His answer was a resounding yes. He went on to say, “Our firm values continually educating our team. I find great joy in watching our team bond with each other and seeing the enthusiasm on their faces, [...]
