Walnut Creek Elder Law Blog

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder, wherein certain nerve cells in the brain become impaired or die. These nerve cells, called “neurons” normally produce a chemical known as dopamine. This chemical allows for smooth, coordinated functions of the body’s muscles and movements.

When a high percentage of the brain cells which produce dopamine are impaired, symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may appear. Symptoms may include tremors, changes in facial expression, imbalance, small handwriting and slowness of movement. In time, the symptoms may become worse. Mild tremors can become more severe. Body movements may also become slower, and mobility problems may become worse. The use of eating utensils, dressing, and performing various activities of daily living may become more difficult.

Parkinson’s disease, which is difficult to diagnose officially, affects both sexes in equal numbers, and does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, social status or where you live. There are different rates of progression for the disease. We encourage our clients who have Parkinson’s disease and their familiy members to seek the help of support groups, to pursue ongoing medical care, and to learn adaptive techniques from medical professionals.

 Parkinson’s disease is the most common brain disorder, after Alzheimer’s disease, that we see with our clients. When symptoms of Parkinson’s disease appear, as with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, we receive inquiries from individuals who may have the disease, or from their loved ones. They want know what should be done now regarding the establishment of a long term care plan for the person with the disease.

We help clients review and update their existing estate planning documents, to be sure the documents contain the requisite asset protection language. We then help the family plan for long term in-home care, which is the preference of most of our clients. We help the family plan for the VA Aid and Attendance benefit, which can help pay for in home care, for veterans. We also help with planning for Medi-Cal benefits, which can pay for nursing home care.   

 If you or a loved one has symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, please feel free to call elder law attorney Michael J. Young, with offices in Walnut Creek, CA, at 925-256-0298. Mr. Young serves clients principally in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. You can visit our web site at www.WalnutCreekElderLaw.com

If you run a home health agency, you probably feel like you are wearing a hundred different hats, from finding the right employees,  to dealing with all of the issues they bring with them. Moreover, you are communicating with clients who are stressed out and who are wondering how they are going to be able to pay for your valuable services.

Did you know that there is a Federal program that can pay your clients directly, to help defray the cost of their in home healthcare.  This is the Veterans Administration Aid & Attendance benefit program that is available to veterans and to their surviving spouses. In order to qualify, clients who are veterans or who are surviving spouses of veterans, need to meet required income and asset limitations. These requirements can be legally and honestly met, through the help of an elder law attorney accredited in this area. 

For married couples, the benefit can be as much $1,949 per month or more, and for surviving spouses of a veteran, the benefit can be as much as $1,056 per month or more. 

The benefit to your clients is that this program provides an additional source of funds to them, to help pay the cost of in home care that you are providing to them.  Our clients all want to stay at home as long as possible, and we all know that it is better for all involved, if our clients can stay home longer.

If you’d like to learn more about how the VA Aid and Attendance program works, then I’d like to invite you to a workshop I will be hosting for home healthcare providers here at our offices. We will be sending additional information to you regarding upcoming programs. We are also available for in-service programs regarding this benefit. You may contact our offices for additional information, and feel fee to check our website at www.WalnutCreekElderLaw.com.

By Michael J. Young, Elder Law Attorney, with offices in Walnut Creek, and serving Contra Costa and Alameda Counties.