May is Elder Law Month & the Perfect Time to Get Your Affairs In Order
by Dennison Keller
It’s May! It’s May! Famed lyricist Alan Jay Lerner called the month a gorgeous holiday. Growing up in the Midwest, May has always been my favorite time of the year. The temperatures warm. Pools Open. April showers give way to May flowers. Snarky and political social media posts yield to celebrations of graduations and proms, and of course, our Mothers.
It is fitting, then, that in May, we also mark National Elder Law Month. What better time than in the month we pay tribute to Mom and focus on taking care of Mom? Most of us enter our summer with a plan, be it camps, reunions, or vacations. By the same measure, it is a bedrock principle of elder law that the aging of a senior can and should be planned for.
Is it your hope to live out your days in your home? If so, have you planned out how to better your odds to achieve that goal? Take some time this May to get rid of throw rugs to eliminate trip hazards. If you can afford it, move that washer and dryer upstairs to the first floor to minimize the chances of tumbling down the basement stairs with a laundry basket. Go ahead and install those grab bars in the shower to keep yourself steady in the bathroom. Accidents happen when you least expect them, and the results can be catastrophic.
By contrast, are you lonely at home? Spend this May taking some tours at independent or assisted living facilities, seize your future, and decide for yourself where you want to live to maximize your happiness. Remember, the decision to move to a continuing care community could be the single biggest move you make to stay out of a nursing home.
Have you thought about your finances and the cost of care? With a properly written power of attorney and trust, you can dramatically increase the chances that you take care of your spouse and leave a meaningful legacy to the people you love the most. Make an appointment this May with an elder law attorney to learn how.
In May, we emerge from the darkness of winter and the storms of spring. And while the aging process can make us feel we are only surrounded by clouds, each of us how the power to take control and ensure our days ahead are as bright as possible. And THAT is worth celebrating…..like so much in the month of May. Tra La!
