Blog

Caregivers play a critical role in the health and well-being of their loved ones. While everyone’s caregiver story is different, you are not alone. There are resources and agencies aimed at supporting you as a caregiver no matter what type of care you may be offering. Below is a list of agencies that provide a variety of different services.

Recently, the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support & Engage (RAISE) Family Caregiving Advisory Council delivered its initial report to Congress.The culmination of a two-year, multi-faceted effort that gathered input from family caregivers across the country, the report provides an overview of many of the issues faced by family caregivers nationwide and provides recommendations for addressing them. 

This year, Grunden Law Office is partnering once again with the Allen County Christmas Bureau to bring Christmas to an area family. The Christmas Bureau allows us to help our friends and neighbors have the Christmas of their dreams. Everyone deserves that at least once in his/her lifetime.

Research studies confirm what anyone who has cared for a chronically ill or disabled relative or friend knows firsthand – such a labor of love can exact an enormous physical, emotional, social, and financial toll. All too often those who provide care to others neglect their own need for self-care. Taking care of oneself is essential if the best care is to be provided to another person. Caregivers must learn how to balance their own needs with the needs of someone who needs care.

As an estate planning and elder law firm, we strive to provide all of our clients with the tools and strategies they need to prepare for whatever comes along, including wills, trusts, advanced directives, and more. This month we’ve been focusing on these topics as part of Estate Planning Awareness Month and Long-Term Care Planning Month. While it is vitally important for you to have estate planning documents in place, it is equally important to talk to your family about them.

In addition to being Estate Planning Awareness Month, it’s also Long-Term Care Planning Month. So as the season changes, it’s an important time to evaluate what changes may be coming for those you love, and how you can protect those that need it most – specifically aging loved ones.

Who should raise your children if for some reason you or your spouse is unable to do so? It’s not an easy question to answer, but if you have young children, it is a topic you most certainly should address in your estate plan. Otherwise, a court will decide, and their decision will probably not be the same as the one you would have made, and may not even be in the best interests of your children.

October is Estate Planning Awareness Month which reminds us all to be sure the right plans are in place for protecting those that need it most. For many families with a special needs child, a special needs trust is one of the most important components of the family’s overall estate plan. A properly designed and implemented special needs trust can provide a number of important benefits.

Thanks to improvements in medical science and healthier lifestyles, Americans are living longer than ever before. Unfortunately, many of us will require long-term care at some point in our lives, and one in five of us will require long-term care for at least five year

Moving to a new home is stressful in and of itself. When the move involves a senior relocating to a nursing home or assisted living facility, the situation is considerably more complicated, both emotionally and physically.

As a firm that provides Elder Law services, we understand that the idea of transitioning a parent to an assisted living facility is never an easy conversation to have, no matter how much an elderly parent may benefit from such a move. Most senior citizens will flat out refuse to move from the home they’ve known for years into unfamiliar surroundings.

Seniors and their families are left at a disadvantage as the costs of assisted living facilities continue to rise. While it may sometimes seem like there is no relief from these rising care costs, there may be a way for families to get a bit of relief in the form of tax deductions.

Maybe it’s an insurance policy you took out years ago. Or the retirement plan you set up with your employer the day you started working for the company. Or the IRA you have been scrupulously contributing to for two decades.

Challenges to wills and trusts are more common than you might think. These disputes can turn very ugly, very quickly. Resentment between family members can last a lifetime, and the financial consequences can be devastating for all parties involved. Here are several ways to prevent potential disputes from arising in the first place, avoid estate litigation, and help ensure your wishes are carried out.

Planning for blended families can present unique challenges, in part because the interests of a current spouse and any mutual children often conflict with the desire to provide for one’s children from a previous marriage. For example, if all of an estate’s assets are left to the new spouse, the children from a previous marriage may not be provided for in the manner the deceased spouse would have wanted.

Are you in your twenties or thirties? You’ve probably heard about the importance of Wills and Trusts by now, but you may feel like you’re still too young or just don’t have enough assets to warrant any estate planning yet. As an estate planning attorney, I can tell you that it’s a huge mistake thinking that estate planning is just for older or wealthier people. The truth is that everyone over the age of eighteen can benefit from estate planning.

A Will can help you accomplish a number of important planning goals. For instance, it allows you to control how your assets are distributed after you pass away. Without a Will, your assets will be distributed according to what is known as intestate succession, in accordance with strict guidelines set by the state. What you “would have wanted” is irrelevant to the state. Your assets must be distributed, and the state has devised a formula to do so.

As an elder law attorney, I often meet senior clients as a result of them coming into our offices with their adult children. When this situation happens, it is the lawyer's job to recognize the differing needs and rights of both parties. The lawyer must be clear on who is being represented and then do his or her part to focus on that client.

One of the hardest things a senior must come to grips with is that he or she can no longer operate an automobile safely. However, this is not usually something they'll admit to themselves, even if they know it's the truth. Most of the time it is up to their adult children to determine when it's time to take away their elderly parent's car keys and make alternative transportation arrangements for them. Here are some of the warning signs you should look out for if you're worried about your elderly parent continuing to get behind the wheel

1.  Can Medicaid or the nursing home take my home? With proper planning, the answer is “No”.  Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care involves complicated rules. When a loved one is facing nursing home placement, the family should seek advice from a knowledgeable elder law attorney. 2.  Can ...

The term “sandwich generation” refers to people who are raising their own children while simultaneously trying to care for aging parents. If you are “sandwiched” between these two roles, the stress can seem overwhelming. Here are some tips for managing the challenge:

To recap our previous blog post..... As of July 1, 2021, Indiana has a new law regarding advance directives, which includes health care powers of attorney and representatives, that will allow for more options when creating an advance directive. While the new law is in effect, health care provisions declared in a power of attorney signed after December 21, 2022, will be void. That means by December 21, 2022, all new advanced directives must be compliant with the new law. It is important to note that health care powers of attorney signed before January 1, 2023, created under the old statute will still be valid. Anyone who has executed advance directives under Indiana law should review their documents.

As of July 1, 2021, Indiana has a new law regarding advance directives, which includes health care powers of attorney and representatives, that will allow for more options when creating an advance directive. While the new law is in effect, health care provisions declared in a power of attorney signed after December 21, 2022, will be void. That means by December 21, 2022, all new advanced directives must be compliant with the new law. It is important to note that health care powers of attorney signed before January 1, 2023, created under the old statute will still be valid. Anyone who has executed advance directives under Indiana law should review their documents.

You've no doubt heard plenty of stories about how to keep your brain healthy and boost memory. A recent article on AARP's website explored this subject and distinguished between myth and fact. Here are some the highlights. Myth: Brain aging is inevitable. Although the brain does shrink with a...

As an attorney, I often find that people associate the phrase “estate planning” with the task of making final plans and ensuring that loved ones are provided for after death. While we all want to make sure that our families are taken care of when we're no longer with them, planning for incapacity...