Durable Power of Attorney Archives

Health Care Proxy, Power of Attorney, and HIPAA Authorizations Oh My! Why Your College Bound Student Needs All Three.

July 15, 2018 by Kristina

A few years ago I wrote a blog about drafting a health care proxy for your young freshmen. This is a topic I often talk about because it is so important, but most people never think of it. Well, I was thrilled when recently a young family member forwarded an e-mail from her college and asked for my help. This e-mail recommended that she have a health care proxy, power of attorney, and HIPAA authorization drafted before the start of school.

Learn the basics about the health care proxy here. [Read more…]

The Rising Costs of Dementia Care

May 11, 2013 by Kristina

If you have a family member who is suffering from some form of dementia, you know how financially difficult providing quality care can be. According to a study published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine, the financial burden on the nation as a whole is staggering, with the costs now exceeding those of both heart disease and cancer. [Read more…]

How to Prepare Financially for an Emergency

November 1, 2012 by Kristina

Massachusetts was recently struck by Hurricane Sandy, as was most of the east coast. We did pretty well here in Worcester and our hearts are with those who fared much worse than us in New York and New Jersey among other places.

Watching the devastation on television made me take action on two fronts, one: donate money to the Red Cross, and two: make sure my financial house was as ready for an emergency as my physical house was.

Here in Massachusetts we’re preparing for the snow storm season, so it is never too late to start.

For an emergency like the one the east coast just experienced experts recommend, among other things water and food to last about three days, cash and a tank full of gas (http://www.redcross.org/prepare).

What about our financial house? Let’s start with the most immediate needs and think about what should go into an emergency financial kit:

1. Access to cash in an emergency

Keep information about all the accounts that could give you access to cash, this includes checking, savings, money market, and even home equity accounts. You will need the account numbers and contact information for the financial institution. Most often, a copy of a statement will have all the information you need.

You should also consider including a copy of all your credit and debit cards, both front and back. This will give you the information you need to pay in some cases, or to contact the institution should you need to.

2. Medical Information and Caregivers

Your emergency financial kit should also include information about your preferred medical providers. Having their contact information can ensure you are treated by your preferred provider in an emergency, and in some cases, save you money.

3. Insurance Information

Make copies of ALL your insurance cards. Home, car, medical, dental and prescription. If your home or vehicle are damaged, the insurance information in there may be damaged as well, also, if you end up having to evacuate and leave your home or vehicle, you will not want to return just to retrieve these.

Also make sure you have the contact information for your insurance company and agent. Often in an emergency where companies are swamped with requests, your agent can help you get through or connect you to other resources available to you.

4. Longer Term Investments

Your emergency financial kit should also include copies of paperwork documenting your investments accounts. Your investment accounts include IRA, 401(k), stocks, bonds, 529, or any other retirement or long-term savings account. Also include the contact information for any financial planner or planners who manage these accounts for you.

5. Your Estate Planning Documents

Your Will, Health Care Proxy, and Power of Attorney should always be in a safe place, but especially in an emergency. You should place your paperwork in your emergency financial kit, or the information on how to access them, whether they are with your attorney or a safety deposit box etc…

6. Accessing Your Financial Information online

If all the information for accessing you finances and any other important sites are safely locked away in your memory, you may want to consider including the websites and passwords in your emergency kit, or if you do not feel safe carrying that around, you can provide them to a trusted person who is out of harm’s way. This will allow your family to access important information or funds if you are incapacitated, or simply incommunicado.

With the winter upon us here in Massachusetts, and with the painful lessons the Northeast just learned fresh in our memories, now is a great time to look at your emergency plan. If you have not done much in the way of financial or estate planning, now is a good time to think about that as well, and whether your family would be protected in the worst-case-scenario. Call us to discuss your planning and the best way to protect your family in an emergency.

Massachusetts Question 2: Assisted Suicide. What You Need to Know for Election Day

October 26, 2012 by Kristina

We’re not only voting for the next President and a Senator from Massachusetts in November, but on a battery of ballot questions. Ballot Question 2 is one of the more controversial. The so-called “Death with Dignity” or “Right to Die” legislation would allow an adult resident who is (1) capable of making and communicating health care decisions, (2) diagnosed with an incurable and irreversible disease that will cause death within six months, and (3) voluntarily, and in an informed manner, so decides to obtain a prescription for medication to end his or her life. You can read the proposed legislation here.

Oregon and Washington state already have similar legislation in place. In Oregon, most candidates are well educated cancer sufferers over the age of 65, who died at home and were enrolled in hospice care. This “typical candidate” is familiar to many of us working with elders. Maybe it is because so many of us know or have known someone like this that the “Right to Die” issue has strong voices on either side. [Read more…]

Some Seniors are Losing Their Homes Due to Unpaid Property Taxes

October 2, 2012 by Kristina

An 81-year-old woman in Rhode Island was evicted shortly before Christmas from the home she had lived in for more than 40 years – because she failed to pay a $474 sewer bill. A corporation then bought her house at a tax sale for $836.39…and later resold it for $85,000. While this is an extreme case, it’s a symptom of a growing trend. More and more seniors around the country are being forced to pay large, unnecessary fees – or even losing their homes – as a result of unpaid property taxes.

Because property taxes aren’t regular monthly expenses like utility or cable bills, they’re often among the first things that seniors overlook if they begin to have some difficulty managing their own affairs. And they’re frequently missed by children and caretakers as well. Also, many older people who have recently finished paying off a mortgage aren’t used to paying their property tax bills, because for decades they were paid directly by the lender. [Read more…]

Many Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy Documents Should be Revised in Massachusetts

May 17, 2012 by 3mediaweb

If you’ve had legal documents drafted in Massachusetts pertaining to your health, financial, and long-term care wishes, you should have them reviewed and revised now! Massachusetts laws relating to powers of attorney and health care proxies have recently changed. This along with federal medical privacy laws can affect your already-created documents.

The federal law, known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), generally prevents health care providers from disclosing your personal medical information to anyone other than you and someone you’ve named as your “personal representative.” Frequently you will sign medical releases at your physician’s office allowing them to communicate with any specialists you are seeing, like a podiatrist or a cardiologist. Protecting your medical privacy is very important but the law can create some complications. [Read more…]

Let Someone Know Your Medical Wishes For National Healthcare Decisions Day

April 13, 2012 by Kristina

National Healthcare Decisions Day is on April 16^th, and it’s an important reminder for every adult to let someone know their most private wishes about medial treatments and possible end-of-life care. [Read more…]

Why Single People in Worcester County Should Consider Estate Planning

January 25, 2012 by Kristina

When we typically think of estate planning, we see grandma and grandpa putting together a Will and possibly setting up some trusts for the following generations. It’s all about providing for our offspring, right? [Read more…]

How Do I Bring Up the Topic of Estate Planning to My Parents?

December 27, 2011 by Kristina

In Worcester, just as everywhere else in the nation, there is a tendency for people to put off estate planning. Elder law attorneys, like Kristina Vickstrom, recognize that there are multiple factors that lead people to procrastinate when it comes to the estate planning process. [Read more…]

Joint Bank Accounts for Seniors: Yay or Nay?

January 12, 2011 by Kristina

Many seniors currently need assistance paying their bills and managing their finances, or may need help sometime in the future. It’s important to have a trustworthy person authorized to manage your finances should you be unable to do so yourself. Are joint bank accounts a good option? [Read more…]