Page 35 - Money - November 2018

states. You can even up- AMERICAN ASSOCIATION NATIONAL ACADEMY OF independently in a medi- ments and referrals to
load a video of yourself OF DAILY MONEY ELDER LAW ATTORNEYS cal setting, in health care vetted professionals.
expressing your wishes. MANAGERS An elder-law attorney is a or other companies, or
These professionals help comprehensive estate on behalf of communities ELDER COHOUSING
AGING LIFE CARE clients with bill paying planning attorney who or disease-specific There are about a dozen
ASSOCIATION (FORMERLY and other everyday finan- can create trusts and populations. elder cohousing commu-
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF cial tasks. other estate planning ve- nities around the U.S., ac-
PROFESSIONAL GERIATRIC hicles but can also help VILLAGE TO VILLAGE cording to Anne P. Glass,
CARE MANAGERS) ELDERCARE LOCATOR with long-term-care plan- NETWORK a gerontology professor
These professionals can This website is a public ning and other issues There are more than 200 at the University of North
arrange for in-home care service of the U.S. Admin- specific to seniors. Villages in the U.S. and Carolina at Wilmington.
and help with many other istration on Aging. Plug in many more in develop- They share a “do-it-your-
tasks, both medical and your zip code and desired NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ment. These networks are self” approach, in which
nonmedical in nature. service, such as caregiver HEALTHCARE ADVOCACY designed to help mem- older adults design and
Many have a background or legal assistance, and CONSULTANTS bers age in place. Mem- implement their commu-
in social work and charge get options near you. These professionals help bers pay a $400 fee per nities with no administra-
anywhere from $80 to consumers navigate the year to join and access tor telling them what
$350 an hour. health care system, in- the services of both vol- they can or can’t do.
cluding assisting with unteers and paid staff, in-
bills. They may work cluding rides to appoint-

the future. One of the most valuable lessons scholarships for local students who might
Marak says she learned from administering otherwise fall through the cracks. “I don’t
the Elder Orphans Facebook group is that have any pressing heirs for my estate,” he
it’s important to make plans—and it’s equally says. “It’s for the student who is overlooked
important to realize that plans can evolve in the classroom. There’s always two or three
over time. “I’ve learned how to think through like that.”
the health care proxy,” she says. For the disposition of his assets, Repp
As an extra safeguard, Linda Adler, found a trusted partner in a local charitable
founder and CEO of Pathfinders, a medical group. It’s important to have people you
advocacy and consulting firm in Northern trust, but they don’t have to be relatives.
California, recommends that people carry a Michael Amoruso, an elder-law attorney in
laminated card in their wallet listing the Rye Brook, N.Y., has clients who have named
name and phone number of their primary- long-term neighbors in their apartment
care physician, along with all their current buildings to be their proxy in medical and
medications and dosages. “I don’t want my financial matters.
clients to be anonymous when something bad Just as you’ve named a health care proxy,
happens,” she says. Make sure your primary- you’ll want to give someone financial power
care doctor knows your wishes, Adler says, of attorney to handle your money matters if
so he or she is better positioned to help in you’re no longer able to do so yourself. You
an emergency. could name more than one person, if you
want, for checks and balances. Monitoring
*-2) 892) =396 *-2%2')7 services like EverSafe will (for a fee) monitor
ILBUR REPP has his estate all your bank and credit card accounts for
; planned out. A retired teacher, irregular activity and alert a trusted person
if fraud is suspected.
Repp built a considerable side
business as a property manager. Estate plans usually involve what’s known
Working through a charitable organization in as a “durable” power of attorney. These allow
the Greater Tacoma area, Repp has made the trusted individual—legally, the “agent”—
plans upon his death to have his 30 buildings to retain power of attorney even when the
sold and have the proceeds dedicated to person who created the document—the

NO VEMBER 2 018 MONE Y. C O M