Florida Elder Law & Estate Planning Blog


With No Health Agent Backup, Guardianship Looms For Beach Boys Creative Genius
March 21, 2024

Brian Wilson was the driving force behind the Beach Boys, the band that popularized surf music in the 1960s. The band created some of our most iconic pop songs: Little Surfer Girl, Surfin’ USA, California Girls, Good Vibrations, I Get…

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President Jimmy Carter Opts for Hospice Care. What Is It?
March 8, 2023

On February 18, Jimmy Carter, America’s longest-lived president at age 98, opted to receive hospice care at his home. The Carter Center issued this statement: After a series of short hospital stays, former US President Jimmy Carter today decided to…

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Home Caregivers: How to Hire Someone To Help Your Loved One Age At Home
November 16, 2022

If you are thinking of hiring an at-home caregiver for your loved one, listen to this podcast of Oh My God I’m Getting Older and So Is My Mom. On November 14 Attorneys Joseph Karp and Jonathan Karp had a…

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elder abuse
Surprising Estate Plan Suggests Victimizer Became Victim Of Undue Influence
January 27, 2021

Burton Pugach and Linda Riss’ life together is a bizarre saga that captured public attention years ago. Consider the title of the 2007 documentary about their relationship: “Crazy Love.” Pugach’s recent death, allegedly while he was being abused and coerced…

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alzheimer's disease
Sons Remember Fathers Taken By Alzheimer’s
September 24, 2020

With our attention focused on COVID 19, we remain mindful that another plague continues to stalk us. Alzheimer’s Disease currently afflicts over 5 million Americans age 65 and up.  Many of our clients and their families are among them, and…

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florida nursing home visit
Florida Nursing Homes Still Locked Down: When Can You Visit Your Loved One Again?
August 17, 2020

Our Florida elder law attorneys advise many families who have a loved one residing in a long-term care nursing facility. While the coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive and burdensome for everyone, it has created additional, brutal realities for these families….

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How Would You Feel About Being Put On A Ventilator?
May 20, 2020

If you contract COVID 19 and are hospitalized, what kinds of interventions do you want? According to a May 12, 2020 report from Kaiser Health News, one thing many older people definitely DON’T want is to be placed on a ventilator….

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Caregiver Pay
Department of Labor issues guide for families who employ caregivers
April 9, 2016

In earlier posts we informed you that the Fair Labor Standards Act now applies to many at-home caregivers. (See prior posts here and here.)  If you employed a caregiver in the past you considered to be an “independent contractor,” you…

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Caregiver compensation under the new federal regulations, explained
Caregiver compensation under the new federal regulations, explained
March 21, 2016

In a prior post I alerted you that effective October 2015, certain caregivers are no longer exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act. Therefore, employers must pay such caregivers minimum wage and overtime. Since that post, we have received numerous…

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Caregiver
Medicaid Personal Services Agreements must be properly structured
July 19, 2015

A Medicaid Personal Services Contract, also known as a Personal Services Agreement, can be a great strategy that permits an aging person to pay adult children for caregiving, while still preserving the parent’s eligibility for long-term care Medicaid benefits. In…

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