Health Conditions

If you follow Women’s College Basketball, then you must have heard of Pat Summitt. Coach Summit was a legend in NCAA women’s basketball prior to leaving the game due to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Now, there is a rumored new documentary on Netflix that recounts her journey from player to becoming a legend at the University […]

Service animals used by individuals with a disability can only be excluded from public places if they cannot be controlled by their handler or if they are not house broken. See Title II, Section 35.136. Usually service animals must be harnessed, leashed or tethered unless the individual’s disability prevents using those devices or unless it […]

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), a comprehensive civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. The law was amended on September 25, 2008, when President George W.Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA […]

In City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson (U.S. 6/28/2024), the U.S. Supreme Court held that enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property does not constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” prohibited by the Eighth Amendment. This decision followed the City of Grants Pass’ adoption of an ordinance restricting homeless individuals from camping […]

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model on July 1, 2024. It is a voluntary nationwide model test that aims to support people with dementia and their unpaid caregivers. The GUIDE Model is an attempt to provide Medicare funded comprehensive, coordinated dementia care to improve quality […]

Dementia affects more than 50 million people worldwide. The Virtual Dementia Tour is designed to allow participants to experience what dementia patients see, hear and feel so they better understand and empathize with individuals who have dementia. One website with the UNC Greensboro reports: “The simulation temporarily alters your physical and sensory abilities to replicate […]

On September 5, 2023, members of the American Medicaid Association published a study to answer the following question: Can eye-tracking–based measurement of social visual engagement aid in early diagnosis and assessment of autism in young children? The double-blind study examined 475 children assessed for autism. The study concluded that eye-tracking–based measurement of social visual engagement was […]

Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) is a landmark study of the effect of hearing intervention on brain health in older adults. Findings, recently published in Lancet, showed that hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline and one goal was to determine whether hearing intervention could reduce cognitive decline. ACHIEVE’s key findings showed […]

The FDA has approved Leqembi (Lecanemab) for patients with mild dementia and other symptoms caused by early Alzheimer’s disease. Approval followed a determination that a confirmatory trial verified clinical benefit. Leqembi is the first amyloid beta-directed antibody to be converted from an accelerated approval to a traditional approval for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. In […]

The following is a mishmash of information on various Elder Law, Special Needs Law, and Estate Planning issues. It also includes anything else we found interesting during the month of June, 2023. We will continue updating from time to time throughout the month. Last updated 6/8/2023. Keep in mind, you are using linked content at […]

There are many types of “Plaintiff’s cases.” This article focuses on injury cases. Injury cases can be as simple as a car wreck or as complex as a medical malpractice case. Regardless, they generally require four essential elements: duty, breach of duty, causation, and damages. See Calhoun First Nat’l Bank v. Dickens, 264 Ga. 285 […]

My dream is to establish an advocate’s academy. The ultimate name isn’t as important as the mission. It will train existing and future leaders in law, medicine, faith, government, law enforcement, education, caregiving and more. The goal is to develop leadership skills, discuss ethics, improve professionalism, and expand the knowledge base for attendees in their […]

First, if someone you know shows signs of stroke, call 9-1-1 right away. A stroke is a medical emergency so don’t mess around. Get to the hospital. Quick action can reduce brain damage and future complications. A stroke (cerebrovascular accident) occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted or stopped. There are two types of […]

In the late 1990s, Dr. Ed Wagner (and his team at the Macccoll Center – now the ACT Center), created the Chronic Care Model for the delivery of care. They had the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The chronic care model recognizes that when care is delivered over time, patient involvement becomes increasingly […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review a number of sources collecting information, many of the articles listed here were found using Google Scholar Alerts. If a link you need has gone missing, try pasting the link into the Wayback Machine (Internet […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review a number of sources collecting information, many of the articles listed here were found using Google Scholar Alerts. If a link you need has gone missing, try pasting the link into the Wayback Machine (Internet […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review a number of sources collecting information, many of the articles listed here were found using Google Scholar Alerts. If a link you need has gone missing, try pasting the link into the Wayback Machine (Internet […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review a number of sources collecting information, many of the articles listed here were found using Google Scholar Alerts. If a link you need has gone missing, try pasting the link into the Wayback Machine (Internet […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

In this day and age, people are glued to their smart phones and other electronic devices. They hardly look up and old time family dinners are often a thing of the past. Alternatively, people binge watch TV or spend significant time playing video games. None of these activities require or encourage interaction with the real […]

We regularly scour the internet looking for information relating to elder care, special needs and elder law. Although we review a number of sources collecting information, many of the articles listed here were found using Google Scholar Alerts. If a link you need has gone missing, try pasting the link into the Wayback Machine (Internet […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

The following articles relating to Elder Care, Elder Law and Special Needs were found during the week of July 29, 2022: Health Related Articles: Barriers to and facilitators of ethical encounters at the end of life in a nursing home: an ethnographic study Home‐ and community‐level predictors of social connection in nursing home residents: A […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Some cited resources are for professionals, but most are news or other helpful articles we […]

(Republished with permission from KHN.org/CNN) At US Hospitals, a Drug Mix-Up Is Just a Few Keystrokes Away Brett Kelman April 29, 2022 More than four years ago, Tennessee nurse RaDonda Vaught typed two letters into a hospital’s computerized medication cabinet, selected the wrong drug from the search results, and gave a patient a fatal dose. […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are listed so you can use this page like a newspaper, reading only […]

March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month. March is also National Kidney Month. We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are […]

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources that might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. Only headlines are listed so you can use this page like a newspaper, reading only […]

February is American Heart Month! Read President Biden’s Proclamation on American Healrth Month 2022 We regularly post links to news articles and other resources we believe might be of interest to our viewers. We focus on general news, health and healthcare news, special needs news, events, government sources, financial and retirement news and legal news. […]

February 18th is National Caregiver’s Day! General News Sources: Will Social Security run out of money? Here’s what could happen to your benefits if Congress doesn’t act Georgia AG Carr Warns Georgians to Beware of Romance Scams | FBI Warning North Macedonia President Walks Girl With Down’s Syndrome To School After She Was Bullied What […]

General News Sources: Getting the Most from Social Security (NYT – subscription required) The average retiree spends 30% of their Social Security income on health care Governor Mills of Maine) Releases Historic Elder Justice Roadmap Alzheimer’s Foundation of America offers free virtual memory screenings How car sensors monitor Alzheimer’s disease A document checklist for family […]

NOTE: If you have a Georgia corporation or limited liability company, your annual return is due by April 1, 2022. General News Sources: Dog Aging Project is looking for more participants National Black (African American) History Month: February 2022 (Census) Tricare coverage and Medicare explained Growing elder populations require more services, awareness NAIC Comments on […]

General News Sources: Justice Stephen Breyer announces Retirement What Assets Should Be Included in Your Trust? Facebook parent Meta creates powerful AI supercomputer Make a Plan for Your Parents’ Care Family members as caregivers Social Security: How to get your new baby’s social security number School Choice and the Mental Illness Epidemic The 4 Phases […]

Residents in long-term care facilities have the right to choose their treating physician. This right is supported in federal and state law. See 42 C.F.R. § 483.10(d);  O.C.G.A. § 31-8-108(b)(1). As a practical matter, however, most physicians, don’t make house calls to the facility. This mean, by default, most residents are treated by the facility’s […]

General News Sources: Oldest person in the US reportedly dies at 115 Supreme Court declines to hear case of Delphi retirees over lost pensions Big pensions are nearly 100% funded, the healthiest they’ve been since 2008 financial crisis Pre-tax vs. Roth 401(k): There’s more to consider than you think Widow’s dilemma: When to claim Social […]

General Sources: Autism Society’s Capital Connection 12-16-2021 (reviewing Build Back Better Act) National Health Care Spending in 2020: Growth Driven by Federal Spending in Response to Covid-19 (Health Affairs) House Advances Build Back Better Act (Health Affairs) Indirect Gift Tax Considerations for 2021 (The Tax Advisor) Smart moves to make with your retirement portfolio before […]

General News Sources: NAELA member Janet Colliton, CELA, wrote Eligible Charity Distribution can reduce taxes Lack of special ed teachers keeps some autistic students ill-prepared for college Bob Dole remembered as champion for people with disabilities If you have a child with special needs, here’s how to plan for their life after you pass What […]

The Olmstead case was brought by two Georgia women whose disabilities include mental retardation and mental illness. At the time the suit was filed, both plaintiffs lived in State-run institutions, despite the fact that their treatment professionals had determined that they could be appropriately served in a community setting. The plaintiffs asserted that continued institutionalization […]

The cases discussed here make clear the importance of making health decisions in advance and communicating them. Too often, decisions are put off, sometimes because people fear an advance directive is a license to kill; if individuals took time to examine the document, they would find that its simply an expression of individual values, whether […]

Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 31-39-1 et seq.) defines a candidate for non-resuscitation as a patient who, based on a determination to a reasonable degree of medical certainty by an attending physician with the concurrence of another physician: (A) Has a medical condition which can reasonably be expected to result in the imminent death of the […]

During Covid-19, nursing facilities were allowed to restrict visitation to prevent Covid’s spread. A recent CMS letter to State Survey Directors says “[f]acilities must allow indoor visitation at all times and for all residents as permitted under the regulations” In other words, visitation is now allowed for all residents at all times. Failure to permit […]

On Friday, November 12, 2021, at 1pm eastern, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America will host a webinar titled “New Rules for End of Life Care.” It features guest speaker Barbara Karnes, RN, author of Gone from My Sight: The Dying Experience, and creator of New Rules for End of Life Care: A Guide on the […]

News Sources: Covid-induced life changes leave millions of Americans worried about money IRS Continues Focus on Cryptoassets Georgia Attorney General Recognizes National Cyber Security Awareness Month Georgia Attorney General Supports Congressional Hearings Addressing Youth Social Media Use Dental coverage for Medicare recipients divides parties Federal auto-IRA program would be a big step forward in expanding […]