Quality of Life Month- How Seniors Can Maintain a Good Quality of Life

Published: Tue, 01/08/13


 
 
Evan Farr Banner
 Evan Farr's Elder Law and Estate Planning News
 
Quality of Life Month- How Seniors Can Maintain a Good Quality of Life
 
Dear ,
 
 
January is International Quality of Life Month - an ideal time to consider your overall well-being and take important measures to maximize your quality of life and the quality of life of your loved ones.

Seniors who practice healthy behaviors, take advantage of clinical preventive services, and continue to engage with family and friends are more likely to remain healthy, live independently, and incur fewer health-related costs. The following are ways seniors can manage their health, thus improving their quality of life:
  • Get regular physical activity
  • Use clinical preventive services, including staying up-to-date on recommended immunizations and cancer screenings
  • Explore alternative and complimentary health care treatments such as chiropractic, acupuncture, and energy medicine 
  • Address issues related to mental health, including treatment for depression if necessary
  • Plan for care in case of serious or terminal illness.
Too often, when people think of quality of life, life care planning doesn't come in to play.  Life care planning is the best peace-of-mind you can get and the most effective way to ensure a good quality of life down the road.  Having a plan in place in case of long-term illness or disability can help you preserve your quality of life during the golden years as well as ensure your assets are passed according to your wishes after death.

Life Care Planning can be started any time after a person enters the "long-term care continuum," meaning that a person is starting to need assistance with Activities of Daily Living (such as eating, dressing, etc.) or Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (such as cooking, cleaning, etc.).  This type of planning can be started while you are still able to make legal and financial decisions, or can be initiated by an adult child acting as an agent under a properly-drafted Power of Attorney, even if you are already in a nursing home or receiving other long-term care assistance. If you are still healthy and not yet on the "long-term care continuum," then instead of Life Care Planning and Medicaid Asset Protection Planning, there are other strategies, such as Living Trust PlusTM Asset Protection Trust you can consider.

At the Fairfax Elder Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C., we develop a Life Care Plan based on the immediate legal, financial, and care needs of the client, always focusing on preserving the client's quality of life. If and when nursing home care is needed, your family will already have a plan in place to access public benefits as well as to find and pay for needed care. Instead of reacting to crises as they occur, our Life Care Planning enables seniors and their families to avoid the crisis that occurs when last-minute decisions must be made about their elderly loved one's long-term care.

If you're married, the primary goal of Life Care Planning and Medicaid Asset Protection is to protect the financial independence of the healthier spouse.  If you are not married, the primary goal is typically to enable you to obtain the best personal care possible for your remaining lifetime.  We help you achieve these goals by protecting your assets to the greatest extent possible in the shortest length of time possible.

Protected assets can be used to maintain quality of life by purchase of goods and services not covered by Medicaid, including dentures, hearing aids, vision aids, and personal items and services such as enhanced medical care or private sitters to provide you an enhanced level of care and a better quality of life. For more information about the services The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C. provides to enhance quality of life, read the Life Care Planning and Medicaid Asset Protection page on our website or call us today at 703-691-1888 for a no-cost consultation.

Upcoming Events
 
January 14:
Financial Wellness Event
 
Click to RSVP for this event or call 703-691-1888. 
 
January is Financial Wellness Month.  Join us for an event focused on Senior Financial Wellness and enjoy some fun refreshments!

At our Senior Financial Wellness event, we will discuss: preparing for the unexpected (including ensuring you have a proper power of attorney & living trust in place); ways to protect your life savings from creditor attack and to avoid falling victim to fraud; and ways to plan, track and manage your money, both now and in the future.

This event, hosted by The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C. is for clients and their friends who would like to learn more about Senior Financial Wellness.  Join us for this informative session on January 14 and enjoy fun refreshments while learning how to get a jump on some of those financial New Year's resolutions you'll be making!!
Saturday, February 16:
 
Note: The January 12 Living Trust Plus Seminar is full. We invite you to attend the February 16 seminar. See details below.
 
Living Trust Plus Seminar: How to Protect Your Assets from the Expenses of Probate and Long Term Care

Click to RSVP for this event or call 703-691-1888.
 
-Learn how to protect your assets and obtain valuable Medicaid and Veterans benefits to pay for long-term care.
 
-Learn what the most important estate planning document is, and find out whether yours is up-to-date!
 
-Find out if your Will is sufficient to meet your needs, or if a Trust is a better instrument for you!
 
-Find out how you can protect your assets from lawsuits, divorce, and long-term care creditors!
 

Find Us
facebook      twitter
 
youtube      gplus
 
pinterest     Linkedin

 Upcoming Events

All events are at The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C., 10640 Main Street, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030.  RSVP today!  We hope to see you there. Find out more details.
Monday, January 14:
Senior Financial Wellness Event
RSVP

Saturday, February 16:
Note- The January 12 seminar is full. If you would like to attend and haven't registered yet, please attend the February 16 seminar on the same topic:
 
Living Trust Plus Seminar: How to Protect Your Assets from the Expenses of Probate and Long Term Care
CMS Enhances It's Nursing Home Compare Website
 

 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made navigating it's Nursing Home Compare website even easier with enhanced tools and mobile-ready applications.

Nursing Home Compare allows Americans to make side-by-side comparisons of the nursing homes and hospitals in their area on a diverse range of metrics ranging from specific medical standards, such as how many people are taking the appropriate medications following a surgical procedure, to the levels of patient satisfaction with a facility.

The site redesign will allow families to find important information, such as data from nursing home inspections and other quality measures more easily. The site also now includes a new measure that reports data on a nursing home's use of anti-psychotic drugs, as well as providing information on how many residents report experiencing moderate to severe pain while at the nursing home. In addition, the site has large, easy-to-use maps for locating facilities, and new search functions that allow users to enter the name of a facility and determine whether a given facility accepts Medicaid.  Glossaries and web resources have been added to make the information easier to comprehend. The site can also be accessed through mobile devices.

At the Fairfax Elder Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, we offer additional resources to help you make the important nursing home decision, including Evan Farr's Virginia Nursing Home Survival Guide available for purchase through our firm or on Amazon.com and the Nursing Home Evaluation Tool on our website.

Mailing Address

10640 Main Street
Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030

Unsubscribe to this Newsletter
Copyright  2012 The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C.  All rights reserved.