SEPTEMBER 11-17 IS NATIONAL ASSISTED LIVING WEEK
Americans are living longer than ever before. Eventually, many of us will require nursing home care or assisted living. How many? Studies indicate that one in two women and one in four men will reside in a nursing home at some point in their lives.
The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), a division of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), helps Americans celebrate our aging citizens each year with an official “National Assisted Living Week”. In 2011, the celebration runs from September 11th through the 17th. During this time, assisted living facilities and nursing homes across the country will bring together nursing home residents, staff, families and community members for events, promotions and games honoring seniors.
This year’s theme is Forever Proud. It was chosen, in part, to remember the tragic events of 9/11/01 ten years ago and how our country pulled together in a spirit of unity and pride afterwards. On another level, the theme was chosen to address pride in other areas as well: pride in a lifetime of work well done; pride in skills mastered and goals accomplished; pride in the achievements of family and friends.
As an estate planning attorney, I applaud the efforts of the NCAL and hope that you will take part in this year’s celebration. We also hope that National Assisted Living Week serves as a reminder to you about the importance of long-term planning. If your current plan does not incorporate legal tools and strategies to protect your assets against the high cost of nursing home or assisted living care, now would be a good time to contact us to add this important component.
In a similar vein, if you, a loved one or a dear friend has recently been informed that they will need to enter a nursing home in the near future, we may be able to obtain assistance from Medicaid, the Department of Veterans Affairs and other sources to help cover the costs. Even if you or someone you care for is already in a nursing home and has been denied such assistance in the past, we may still be able to help.
As our nation reflects upon the events of 9/11/01 this year, we hope you will feel a surge of pride not only in our country, but also in your own accomplishments thus far in life, and for those yet to come.
