Connecticut elder law attorneys provide assistance in circumstances where there has been a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or when a person has otherwise been diagnosed with dementia. This diagnosis is life-altering and it is vitally important that a detailed plan for the future be created as soon as a diagnosis has been made. 
Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates is here and ready to provide the necessary help in responding to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. We can also help if you are diagnosed with any other serious medical condition. It is best to contact us right away so we can talk through the issues created by the diagnosis, assist you in identifying your goals, and work with you to make effective use of legal tools to secure your future. You should give us a call today to find out more about the personalized help that we can provide.
State Updating Plan to Help People With Alzheimer’s
As the population ages, a growing number of people will suffer from Alzheimer’s or will otherwise suffer from dementia. Many of theses individuals will require a lot of help and support. States are struggling to try to figure out the best way to provide needed services and care to these patients. For example, as CT Post recently reported, the state of Rhode Island has recently had to update its Alzheimer’s plan.
Rhode Island has a five year plan for helping individuals in the state suffering from dementia, but modifications are necessary to provide the types of supportive services that a growing number of dementia patients will end up requiring. Both the Tufts Health Plan Foundation and the Rhode Island Foundation pledged $15,000 each in order to support efforts to update the plan.
The modified plan will be presented to the state legislature to be adopted in 2019. The goal of the plan is to shape the ways in which lawmakers create state policy on Alzheimer’s. As many as 27,000 residents of Rhode Island will be affected by Alzheimer’s by 2025, so having a detailed and updated plan is key.
Rhode Island is not the only state with a growing number of senior residents suffering from dementia, and Connecticut will also need to formulate and regularly revise a plan to meet the needs of residents who develop a progressive condition such as Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, limited resources and a lack of certainty about how the disease will affect aging baby boomers makes it very difficult to find ways to ensure at a state level that there are sufficient supports in place.
Individual patients and families who get a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s need to ensure they are taking their own steps to create a plan to address the symptoms of the disease as it progresses. Steps to take may include:
- Creating a Medicaid plan to ensure you can afford nursing home care. Medicare won’t pay for a nursing home under most circumstances, including when a home because necessary if you can’t live independently due to dementia. You need Medicaid to cover the costs of care unless you want to pay out of pocket, which means you need a plan to get access to these means-tested benefits without having to spend all your money first.
- Creating advanced directives. When decisions need to be made about medical care in the future, you may be unable to make them. You want to provide instructions in advance about care you wish to receive and care you wish to decline. You should also provide instructions for who will serve as your healthcare proxy and make decisions on your behalf when you can no longer act on your own.
Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates can help with all of these steps and can also assist you in addressing any other issues that are unique to your situation and that arise as a result of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Getting Help from Connecticut Elder Law Attorneys
Connecticut elder law attorneys at Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates can provide invaluable advice as you cope with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. You need to ensure that you are taking control over your future as much as possible after being told you have this progression and we will work with you to make use of the legal tools that will protect your assets and allow you to keep your autonomy as much as possible for as long as possible.
To find out more about how we help patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at 860-548-1000 or contact us online today to get your personalized plans started.
Mr. Nirenstein is licensed to practice before the courts of the State of Connecticut and the United States District Court. He is a member of the Connecticut and Hartford County Bar Associations, and the Estate and Probate, Elder Law, Business Law and Real Estate Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association.
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