Today, people are living longer than ever before and many families face challenges caring for elderly loved ones. From communicating with doctors, to obtaining reliable home care services, to selecting a nursing home, elder care coordination requires a steady hand. The best way to coordinate your loved one’s care is to consult a trustworthy elder law and life care planning attorney.
E.A. Goodman Law, LLC is a premier elder law practice serving clients throughout New Jersey. Founding attorney Elga Goodman is dedicated to helping families manage the legal and medical issues associated with elder care. Knowing that dealing with the difficulties of aging can be overwhelming for elders, caregivers, and family members alike, she will provide you with knowledge, compassion and the personal attention you deserve. When you become our client, you can rest assured that your loved one’s healthcare and financial needs will be met.
What is Life Care Planning?
Life care planning is a holistic approach designed to help elders and their families secure and pay for healthcare needs through a combination of asset protection, Medicaid planning, long-term care coordination, care advocacy, and crisis intervention. A well-conceived life care plan includes:
- Identifying and obtaining quality care
- Coordinating healthcare
- Paying for medical care
- Qualifying for Medicaid benefits
- Estate planning and asset protection
- Emotional support for elders and caregivers
- Care advocacy and crisis intervention
How We Can Help
In short, life care planning is intended to maintain and enhance an elderly family member’s quality of life. E.A. Goodman Law, LLC is here to guide you through the process and to help you make the best decisions about your loved one’s care.
Our elder law attorneys routinely prepare essential long-term care planning documents (e.g. powers of attorney, advance healthcare directives, Living Will, HIPAA Authorization), as well as wills, trusts, and other estate planning tools. More than this, we engage in an interactive process with your family to understand your loved one’s needs and develop a customized life care plan.
We also utilize an interdisciplinary approach by collaborating with a team of professionals — accountants, elder counselors, occupational therapists, geriatricians — to ensure that every aspect of your loved one’s care is addressed. Finally, we enlist the services of a qualified care coordinator to oversee your loved one’s care.
What is a care coordinator?
An elder care coordinator is a professionally trained social worker or registered nurse who specializes in geriatric and long-term care. His or her role is to oversee the coordination of your loved one’s medical needs and long-term care and to advocate for your family. A skilled care coordinator can help you make informed decisions about your loved one’s care, especially in crisis situations.
Your elder care coordinator will also collaborate with your loved one’s support team (e.g. long-term care administrators, doctors, financial planners) so that your family has proper guidance at all times. You can also rely on your elder care coordinator to:
- Coordinate with medical and health care providers
- Perform comprehensive care assessments to identify potential risks and recommend solutions
- Help to secure in-home assistance (e.g. a healthcare aid), other services and equipment to allow your loved one to live at home longer
- Provide referrals to geriatric specialists who can provide your loved with needed care
- Plan for incapacity
- Arrange and coordinate the transfer and transport of your loved one to or from a retirement complex, assisted care living facility or nursing home
- Handle health insurance claims and related issues
- Assist with the Medicaid application process
- Provide advocacy during an emergency
Whether your loved one is living at home, at an assisted living facility or in a nursing home, you will have peace of mind knowing that his or her care is being coordinated by a team of caring, capable professionals under the watchful eye of E.A. Goodman Law, LLC.
Why Do I Need an Elder Care Coordinator?
Let’s face it: caregiving can be daunting. Some may find themselves thrust into the role of caregiver without advance notice or proper training. Family caregivers can easily become overwhelmed trying to balance caring for their loved one with career and family responsibilities. Sadly, caregivers often neglect to care for themselves and experience exhaustion and burnout.
This is where an elder care coordinator can help. Our network of skilled elder care coordinators have access to a wide range of elder care resources and will leverage their relationships with elder care facilities and organizations to help you overcome the challenges of life care planning. Most of all, a compassionate elder care coordinator can offer you support and guidance during difficult times.
Contact Our New Jersey Care Coordination and Life Care Planning Attorney
Caregiving is not a part-time job, but rather an awesome responsibility that takes patience, determination, and most of all compassion. With the help of a skilled elder law attorney, you can design a life care plan that is well-suited for your family’s unique situation.
At E.A. Goodman Law, LLC, our comprehensive care coordination services can help your family arrange for the care your loved one needs and deserves. Please contact our office today to speak with our elder law and life care planning attorneys.