“’Ice-breakers’ for Difficult Family Conversations at the Holidays”
Many people gather friends and family over the holidays. Everybody we care about is in the room! It’s a great time to have conversations that may feel uncomfortable but are extremely important in a health care crisis – Health Care…
“Changes to Minnesota’s Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney on January 1, 2014”
First of all, if you already have a SSFPOA, which you validly executed before January 1, 2014, yours is still effective and you are not required to get a new one. But, if you execute a SSFPOA after January 1,…
“Marital Liens May Have Limitations If Home Equity Vanishes”
Christopher Pham and Michael Boulette wrote a very insightful article in a recent publication of Bench and Bar of Minnesota (link below) that outlines the limitations on Marital Liens when a volatile market destroys home equity, as is the case…
Elder Law: “Medicare May Enforce New and Controversial ‘Observation Rule’ as early as January 1, 2014”
Medicare is thinking of applying a new set of rules to hospital stays for Medicare patients. The rules create a new category of “admittance” to a hospital called observation that allows Medicare to deny coverage for subsequent nursing home stays. …
“Health Care Directive Protects Personal Choice”
Only one thing is important if you’re reading this post: if you want to have a say in your medical treatment when you are unable to communicate on your own, appoint an agent through a Health Care Directive! It’s easy,…
Family Law: “What Every Stepparent Should Know about their Rights, Responsibilities, and Liabilities”
I enjoyed an excellent article by Peter Brynickzka in the American Bar Association’s Family Advocate publication. (See link below) http://sgcfamlaw.com/pdf/1sum13_bryniczka.pdf Blended families are common, and stepparents often bond very deeply with their stepchildren. But, life can always throw us a…
“Elder Law: One Out Of Twenty Older Adults Will Become Victims of Financial Exploitation”
Taking advantage of vulnerable people is not a new problem, but it has become a growing problem with the elderly as baby-boomers turn 65 in larger numbers than we’ve seen before. The Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University is…