The intense grief we feel for the victims and families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, has ignited, or re-ignited, two of our great national debates: the obvious one about gun control, and a less obvious one about the nature and treatment of mental illness. As yet we do not know the exact nature… Read More »
Blog Posts Page 3
Elder Law: It's about people, not just money.
Sometimes when attorneys talk about elder law and Medicaid planning, they get caught up in the technical details of the various rules and strategies: Medicaid planning trusts; the look-back period, spend-down plans, the half-a-loaf strategy, the penalty period, and on and on. It’s easy to forget sometimes that we’re talking about human beings — people… Read More »
It's Not Monopoly Money, It's Your Hard Earned Wealth
A recent article in Forbes highlights a study that half of all people lose all their wealth after just 6 months in a nursing home. I’m going to repeat that: Half of all residents in a nursing home lose ALL their wealth, including their home equity, after just 6 months in a nursing home. As… Read More »
Refrigerator Mothers or Aging Fathers?
Back in the 1950’s, scientists were certain that autism and schizophrenia were caused by mothers who were emotionally frigid. Scientists coined the phrase “refrigerator mothers” to describe how the lack of warmth by mothers affected their children. There were even movies made about this symptom: a PBS Point of View, the trailer which is… Read More »
Medicaid: The Middle Class Safety Net
As this article in today’s New York Times points out, Medicare is getting the bulk of the attention in this election campaign, while more attention needs to be focused on the problem of Medicaid. “Medicaid has long conjured up images of inner-city clinics jammed with poor families. Its far less-visible role is as the only… Read More »
More Research Needed for Teen Autism Treatments
Most of the research in autism treatment and prevention is aimed at young children. Early intervention is best and most helpful, but as the autism population ages, so must treatment solutions be aimed at older children and young adults. As the Huffington Post points out, a new government report confirms that there is little scientific… Read More »
A Kardashian I'm Proud to Watch
At the risk of losing the respect of many of my readers, I have to admit I’m a closet reality show junkie. And not just any reality show. Last night I was watching “Khloe and Lamar,” when I stopped paying my usual half attention and took notice of the story line. Rob, , the lone… Read More »
Self -Determination Through the Eyes of a Client
I recently had the pleasure, on my radio show Special Needs Long Island, to meet Mandy Shenkman, an individual with developmental disabilities who works with The Center for Family Support, an organization that, in part, helps people with developmental disabilities work within self-determination. According to the Self Advocacy Association of New York State (SAANYS) (another… Read More »
Alexander Does Have Angels
I had the pleasure of meeting 3 great founders and supporters of Alexander’s Angels, a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote a better understanding of people with Down Syndrome. Esther Gomez-Nieto, the President and Founder (and whose grandson Alexander was the impetus for the organization) refuses to take credit for the astounding amount of… Read More »
When Siblings Don't Agree About Mom and Dad's Care
Remember the fights you used to have with your brother over who got the last Ring Ding? (Okay, maybe that was only me). I’m an independent woman, an elder lawyer, no less. Yet, when it comes to making decisions about my Mom, I turn first to my brother. After all, my Mom is his… Read More »