How To Find An Elder Law Expert
Elder law is still a developing branch of legal expertise. There are far fewer clearly recognized experts in the field than for other specialties such as divorce, which has been legislated and required legal attention for years. As the government recognizes elder law as a growing issue, the number of people seeking a litigation lawyer in elder law cases will only increase. Knowing what to look for in a good litigation attorney for elder law cases will help you find the best possible representation for your situation.
Qualification #1: They Must Be A Legal Litigation Lawyer
In order to practice within a particular state, a lawyer must pass a test specific to that state known as the Bar exam. Once he or she proves competency about the law, they are permitted to become a lawyer in that state. An important point to keep in mind is that passing the Bar exam in one state does not guarantee anything if the legal professional moves to another state. Your chosen attorney must have a current license valid in your state, or they are not allowed to represent you. This is not a matter of optional qualifications; this is absolutely mandatory, and something that everyone should know before seeking a lawyer for any purpose.
Qualification #2: They Should Have Knowledge Of Elder Law
This qualification is substantially more difficult to quantify than the requirement that they be a member of the Bar. Checking to determine whether or not they have a license is as simple as making some phone calls or possibly checking on the internet. Determining their area of expertise and the depth of their knowledge in that area takes a lot more effort. There are several ways you can approach this.
One way to find out is to ask questions of the litigation attorney themselves. You will want to have an in-depth conversation with your potential representative before hiring them no matter what specialty you are seeking. It is particularly important to vet a potential elder law specialist with care because the field is in a constant state of development. It is vital that a litigation attorney in this area be reading and maintaining knowledge about new laws as they change quite frequently.
You can also use Google to your advantage. The best litigation lawyer will probably go beyond merely following developments in his field. He’ll be helping shape the conversation by writing opinion pieces, and perhaps even testifying about new laws that are being considered. A Google search for the name of an attorney should turn up information – just be careful to ascertain that it’s the same person before you make any decisions.
Qualification #3: You Have To Feel Comfortable
This last qualification is one of the most important. You will be working with this litigation lawyer over the course of months, or perhaps even years in particularly complex cases. You want to know that they are going to give you the amount of time, energy, and focus that you deserve. If you are not completely confident about their devotion to helping you from day one, look elsewhere. Combine your own confidence with proven experience and membership in the Bar, and you have done all you can to ensure great representation.
Kerry Peck is a litigation lawyer in Chicago and a managing partner of Peck Bloom LLC. He is known for his expertise on elder law in Chicago and nationwide.
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5 Ways To Find A Disabilities Lawyer In Portland Oregon
Obtaining a disability claim can be difficult, especially if you are not completely incapacitated. A good disabilities lawyers Portland Oregon can help you in getting what you rightfully deserve. Given are some ways in which you can find disabilities lawyer in Portland, Oregon.
How to Get a Good Disabilities Lawyer in Portland Oregon?
1. Find a Society or Foundation
You can begin by finding a society or foundation which represents your particular disability. To make your task simpler, search online for communities or societies which represent your claim. After finding a society that represents you, search for local chapters. You can call your chapter and get referrals for disability attorneys.
2. Local Hospital or Medical Center
You can also call up and ask your local hospital or medical center for information on disability lawyers. Hospital social workers usually have this information on hand. Note down the phone number and contact details of the disability lawyer.
3. Yellow Pages
This is yet another trusted source for finding information on disabilities attorneys. You can look in the Attorney’s section listed in your Yellow Pages. Look into the subheading disability. You can then note down the contact or address details of the attorney.
4. Compile a List
You can then prepare a list of the short listed names. Ensure that you select attorneys which are situated near your house or in your area. This will save the time and money spent on travelling.
5. Other Attorneys
You can also get referrals from other attorneys. For instance, you can ask any attorneys whom you know personally for recommendations. Lawyers usually have a good rapport with colleagues even if they are from another field. Moreover, reputed attorneys have a good standing among their colleagues.
Consider these useful guidelines and choose a well-known disabilities attorney in Portland accordingly.
For more detailed information on disabilities lawyers Portland Oregon, try visiting www.guinnlaw.com.
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Fairfield, CT (PRWEB) November 20, 2007
Nearly 80% of family caregivers are finding the caregiving experience emotionally rewarding, despite initial negative perceptions of caregiving, according to a nationwide survey by Caring Today magazine.
Published in conjunction with National Family Caregivers Month this November, the Caring Today survey shows that caregivers have distinctly more positive feelings after caring for a family member than they did as they were about to take on the responsibility. The number of caregivers finding the experience highly rewarding jumped by 50% following the caregiving experience.
“National Family Caregivers Month is a time to recognize family caregivers for their good hearts and tireless support,” said President George W. Bush in a Presidential Proclamation. Some 50 million Americans act as family caregivers, providing non-paid assistance for a family member or friend who needs support, guidance and or/physical help with health and medical decisions.
A just-released National Alliance for Caregiving/Evercare study found that caregivers are often burdened by high out-of-pocket costs in caring for a spouse or parent. “While the Caring Today survey also found that many caregivers experience financial hardship due to caregiving, what is especially remarkable is that the overall caregiving experience is positive. Caregivers find that the caregiving experience helps them strengthen bonds with the person they’re caring for in a way they never thought possible,” said Susan Strecker Richard, Editor-in-Chief of Caring Today
The Caring Today survey also offers strong advice for caregivers: “Being prepared to be a caregiver is directly related to the well-being of the caregiver, not just the patient,” said Victor Imbimbo, President/CEO of Caring Today.
“Many people facing the issue of caring for an aging parent or physically-challenged relative wonder how they can manage it, along with all they do in other aspects of their busy lives,” said Richard. “However, for the majority of caregivers, the experience turns out to be emotionally rewarding beyond their highest expectations, reaffirming the significance of caregiving.”
Every caregiver must develop a connection with his or her loved one,” said caregiving advocate Debbie Newsham, 44, of Eagle River, Alaska, who has been caring for her father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease for over four years. “We learn to make those connections, find those moments and allay those fears. This is how caregivers move to the next level, keep our spirits high and maintain the essence of our loved one.”
The survey indicates that caregivers’ concerns vary significantly before compared to after becoming a caregiver. Overall the differences are positive, with caregivers initially underestimating the degree of bonding with the care recipient; underestimating both how rewarding and enjoyable the caregiving experience can be, and over-anticipating the degree they would feel overwhelmed.
However, caregivers initially tended to underestimate the need to find more resources and information and the potential of experiencing financial hardship. When first learning of their new role as a caregiver, most caregivers recall initial feelings as: Concern (36%), Overwhelm (22%), or Inadequacy (14%). Some even felt Fear (10%), Panic (5%), Anger (3%) or Guilt (2%).
Among the key findings in the Caring Today survey:
Sixty percent of the caregivers called the experience “very or extremely rewarding,” a 50% jump over the number of caregivers who thought in advance they would find the experience “very or extremely rewarding.” Nearly 80% (78.8%) percent of the caregivers found the experience to be at least “rewarding,” an increase of more than one-third from initial expectation.
A majority of the caregivers–nearly 54%–formed a stronger bond with the patient during the time they were together.
Almost 60% of the respondents reported an improvement in the quality of their relationship with the person for whom they cared. By contrast, fewer than 10% said that their relationship got worse during the time they were caregivers.
Social activities of the caregiver tend to diminish. However, the diminished social activities are replaced with an increased quality of relationship with the care recipient.
More than 2/3 of all caregivers (68.7%) said they enjoy the tasks associated with caregiving. However, prior to assuming the role, fewer than half (45.5%) thought they would enjoy caregiving.
The amount of satisfaction with caregiving is directly related to the type of disease from which the care recipient suffers. Caregivers of depression sufferers, cancer and cardiac disease have more difficulty than those caring for patients who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis.
“For me, caregiving is one of life’s crossroads,” said Newsham. “I have learned some painful lessons, but in such a unique and loving way that I realize this has not been wasted time for me. This has been a time to take personal inventory and realign priorities.”
Caregiver profile
The survey revealed the average family caregiver to be a 46-year-old woman. More than ¾ of caregivers are female. Nearly ¾ range in age from 35 to 59. The majority of caregivers use the Internet regularly and use it to learn more about health information.
Importance of preparation in caregiving
Preparation, according to the Caring Today survey, is a critical element in the satisfaction caregivers derive from their subsequent experience: Caregivers who were prepared for what to expect felt happy, honored and needed and were significantly less likely to experience negative emotions, such as panic and inadequacy.
“The bottom line” said Imbimbo, “is that being prepared means the caregiver knows more and has more relevant medical information, establishes a better relationship with doctors, and plans for a more balanced life for herself.”
While caregivers find the experience more enjoyable and less overwhelming than anticipated, many find the responsibility can take a physical and financial toll. Almost two thirds of caregivers are able to maintain their own health after becoming a caregiver (63%). However, about a third of caregivers experience a deterioration in their own health after becoming a caregiver (31%) and 38% describe themselves as being depressed. The majority, of the caregivers (53%) said they experienced financial hardships due to caregiving.
Anderson Analytics LLC, which conducted the survey for Caring Today, collected 514 valid responses online between April 26, 2007 and May 20, 2007. The survey has a confidence level of 95%.
About Caring Today, LLC
Caring Today, LLC, through its magazine and website, is the leading provider of practical advice and resources for family caregivers. Since 2004, the Connecticut-based multiplatform media company has delivered expertise and support to the estimated 50 million American family caregivers through www.caringtoday.com and Caring Today, a bimonthly magazine with a national circulation of 750,000.
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Where to Find Care
There are many ways that you can go about trying to find senior care for your loved one. You can search online, where you can often find online reviews written by people who have been under that person or facility’s care, you can look in the local newspaper, check sites like Craig’s List, or you can use a senior care directory where you can often find qualified professionals who will come out to your house to care for your loved one where they feel most comfortable. But no matter how you go about finding senior care, once you get the person or facility on the phone, you’ll want to ask plenty of questions.
Questions You’ll Want to Ask:
If this is an individual you’re talking to, you’ll want to ask about their education level, work experience and you may also want to ask them why they feel they’re the most qualified to care for your loved one. You should also ask for references so that you can confirm how this person handles elderly people in his or her care.
If you are discussing options with a senior living facility, you may want to ask how long they’ve been in business, what their occupancy level is, what sorts of accommodations and amenities are provided, as well as anything else that will make you feel comfortable about leaving your aged loved one in their care. You can also ask these facilities for references so that you can make sure you’re choosing a reputable senior living home.
Those are all great ways to find senior care. Remember, you want your loved one to have the best care possible. You’re trying to find senior care so that the person or facility can help your loved one with eating, bathing, and you also want to make sure they are monitoring your loved one’s medicine schedule. All of these things will help you sleep well at night knowing that your loved one is well cared for.
While trying to find senior care may seem like a long, tedious process, you’ll thank yourself later when you use the above tips to help you find the best senior care person or facility possible.
Many people want to find cheaper insurance, but they are afraid that the cheap auto insurance is not going to give them the quality coverage that they need. Many people also tend to think that they simply do not have the time to shop around through all of the different insurance companies. The thing is, since there are so many options and so many companies no giving you the information you need right online, you should be able to get everything you need in the least amount of time possible.
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Madison, Wis. (Vocus) July 14, 2010
Two new studies, involving a newly identified gene, show that Alzheimer’s disease could be diagnosed as much as 20 years before symptoms develop.
The studies by Dr. Mark Sager, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) and director of the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, and Sterling Johnson, SMPH associate professor of medicine and researcher at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Madison VA Hospital, were presented today at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Honolulu.
Sager’s study included 726 healthy, middle-aged people with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. All carried both the newly identified gene (TOMM40) and APOE, a well-established risk gene for Alzheimer’s. Researchers discovered that the 229 people with the high-risk version of TOMM40 did significantly worse on tests of learning and memory than study participants with the low-risk version.
“The deficits shown by the high-risk group are similar to the kinds of changes in memory and learning that are seen in very early Alzheimer’s,” says Sager, also a practicing geriatrician. “In this study population, TOMM40 genotyping allowed us to find evidence of very early Alzheimer’s disease at least 20 years before any outward symptoms would be noticed.”
Johnson found that healthy, middle-aged adults who have the high-risk version of TOMM40 had a significantly lower volume of gray matter in two brain regions affected in early Alzheimer’s disease. Johnson says the finding in the brain’s posterior cingulate could represent a “neuro signature” for Alzheimer’s disease.
“This is the first study to associate TOMM40 to brain imaging in people at risk for Alzheimer’s,” says Johnson. “The research suggests that the group with the high-risk version of TOMM40 may be having early signs of cognitive and brain changes related to Alzheimer’s.”
In research published last year, Duke University Medical Center researchers identified the gene and found that it not only can predict risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, but also the approximate age when an individual will develop the disease.
“If validated through additional research, the combination of a genetic test and an MRI could provide an otherwise healthy middle-aged person with an assessment of their likely risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” says Allen Roses, M.D., director of the Deane Drug Discovery Institute at Duke. “These findings, paired with new data about the frequencies of the TOMM40 gene in different ethnic groups, provide the basis for conducting a prevention trial that can be done in a fraction of the time and requiring fewer participants than previous efforts.”
Study participants came from the Wisconsin Registry for the Alzheimer’s Prevention, the largest pool of middle-aged, asymptomatic adults with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.
CONTACT: Toni Morrissey
(608) 263-3223
(608) 576-6456
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Drexel Hill Time
AES Seniors
