Legal & Financial Planning

There are many legal issues that should be considered when a loved one is stricken with Alzheimer's disease. Because the issues are sometimes complex and regulations vary by state, it may be helpful to contact an elder law attorney for advice and counsel (see below). Your local agency on aging can also help you understand the overall requirements and resources in your state and can help you locate an elder law attorney. In this section, we will explain a few legal issues that you may want to be familiar with.

Advance Directives/Living Wills/Healthcare Proxies
Elder Law Attorneys
Estate Planning
Guardianship
Charitable Lead Trusts
Charitable Remainder Trusts
Power of Attorney
Trusts
Wills
Bequests
Retirement Plans
 Resource Locator

Advance Directives/Living Wills/Healthcare Proxies

Your Life on your terms.  Advance directives allow you to appoint others to make decisions for you in the event you are no longer capable of making them yourself.

What are advance directives?
Why are advance directives helpful?

Elder Law Attorneys

An elder law attorney is a valuable resource to obtain information on all types of crucial legal matters: from estate planning to obtaining a power of attorney, they will be your guide.

What is an elder law attorney?
What role does an elder law attorney play?
When should an elder law attorney be contacted?
How do I find an elder law attorney?

Estate Planning

The who, what, when, where and why of estate planning.

What is estate planning?
What consideration should a family give to estate planning if one spouse has Alzheimer's disease?
What is a life estate?

Guardianship

Find out the role of a guardian, when it is necessary, and how to obtain a guardianship.

When is guardianship necessary?
How does someone obtain guardianship?
What is the role of a guardian?
If I am the guardian of my parent, what happens if we move to another state?

Charitable Lead Trusts

Charitable lead trusts allow you to donate to your charity of choice through asset transfers.

Charitable Remainder Trusts

Charitable lead trusts allow you to donate to your charity of choice via the interest gains of your assets.

Power of Attorney

Not everyone knows the many different types of power of attorney’s out there.  Do you need a springing power of attorney?

What is a General Durable Power of Attorney?
What is a Springing Power of Attorney?
Can someone with Alzheimer's disease sign a power of attorney?
If a child has his or her parent's power of attorney, how does he or she sign on behalf of that parent?
If someone has created a will naming an executor, is a power of attorney also necessary?
If someone is incapacitated, can he or she still sign a power of attorney?
If a person can't sign a power of attorney because of incapacity, what happens?

Trusts

Different trust agreements determine how your assets are managed and distributed.

What is a trust?
What are the different types of trusts?
What is a Special Needs Trust?

Wills

A will is a legal document that determines what happens to your property after your death.  Your attorney can help you follow the individual rules and regulations set forth by your state.

What is a will?
How do you decide who to name as executor?

Bequests

Bequest giving allows you to provide for your family, friends and charities in the way in which you want to be remembered.  (Also know as planned giving or gift planning).

Retirement Plans

How to give your 401k or IRA to the charity of your choice.

 Resource Locator

The Resource Locator lets you search for providers by name, state, city, or ZIP code from a list of more than 30 types of health care professionals and services.