Long term care planning should be done with an elder law attorney since only an elder law attorney can give legal advice and best represent your interests. Sometimes, a nursing home may recommend an organization or service to help you with such a Medicaid plan; but it is important to remember that such a group may be looking out for the interests of the nursing home, not your interests.
Living Wills
The preparation of Living Wills is part of estate planning, along with preparation of Last Wills and Testaments and Powers of Attorney. Living Wills indicate what medical treatment patients want or do not want when patients have end-stage medical conditions or are permanently unconscious. They may also be effective for patients who have serious brain damage or brain diseases. Living Wills, which may also be known as Advance Directives for Healthcare, may include choices for CPR, mechanical breathing, surgery, hydration, blood transfusions, and antibiotics. They specifically deal with tube feedings and organ donation and allow the patient to choose a surrogate decision maker to whom medical personnel may talk.
Estate Administration and Unclaimed Property
After a Will has been probated and estate administration is proceeding for a decedent, it is a good idea to check out the Unclaimed Property Website of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department at www.patreasury.gov. It is one of the jobs of the Executor or Administrator to collect the assets of the decedent. The Executor or Administrator might not know about all of the decedent's accounts or the decedent may have missed cashing a dividend check or an insurance check from years ago. There is approximately $2.3 billion in unclaimed property. Who knows, some of these funds might belong to the decedent or might even belong to you or another family member!
