Elder Law Commons^™

1990 Guardianship Law Safeguards Personal Rights Yet Protects Vulnerable Elderly, Barbara Venesy

Akron Law Review

Therefore, this Comment will review the historical underpinnings of guardianship law, briefly examine nationwide excesses, and outline reform measures advanced by advocates for.the elderly and mentally disabled. Then the Comment will analyze key elements of Ohio's Guardianship Reform Bill including the court investigator's role, expanded powers provisions, reporting and revalidation measures, and the Indigent Guardianship Fund. Finally, this Comment will address areas of potential concern as Ohio's Probate Courts throughout the state implement the law

Unconscionability As A Contract Policing Device For The Elder Client: How Useful Is It?, Robyn L. Meadows

Akron Law Review

An elder law symposium provides an opportunity to consider ways that the various areas of the law provide protection for the older client. This raises the question of whether the Uniform Commercial Code (hereafter U.C.C. or the Code) protects the unique interests of the older consumer. Such consideration naturally leads to the contract policing device specifically included in the Code—unconscionability. The doctrine of unconscionability provides a way for courts to police grossly unfair contracts and contract provisions. It is found not only in the U.C.C. but also in the tenets of general contract law. However, its application is not limited …

Should Attorneys Have A Duty To Report Financial Abuse Of The Elderly?, Carolyn L. Dessin

Akron Law Review

This Article will therefore put the efficacy issue aside and focus on whether an attorney can and should report suspected abuse under a mandatory reporting statute. Part Two of this article will examine the various states’ approaches to mandatory reporting of abuse. Part Three will explore the various states’ rules governing attorney conduct. Part Four will analyze the interaction of the mandatory reporting provisions with the rules governing attorney conduct. Finally, Part Five will discuss whether requiring attorneys to report suspected elder abuse is desirable.

Intestacy Concerns For Same-Sex Couples: How Variations In State Law And Policy Affect Testamentary Wishes, Megan Moser

Seattle University Law Review

As the number of same-sex couples increases in the United States, concerns regarding the evolution of federal and state law, with respect to rights for same-sex couples, also continue to rise. As marriage is not always available to same-sex couples, they often face very different legal issues than couples in a traditional marriage. Because marriage is typically not a legal cause of action, the question of a marriage’s validity often arises incidentally to another legal question, such as the disposition of a decedent’s estate.

Elder Abuse And The Court System: Oil And Vinegar, Bernard A. Krooks, Elizabeth Valentin

Articles & Chapters

No abstract provided.

Wilson V. Wilson: The Effect Of Qdros On Appealing Divorce Decrees, Joshua A. Dean

Akron Law Review

In most divorces today, the largest asset held by the divorcing couple is a retirement fund belonging to one of the spouses. Courts invery state must decide how to divide a married couple’s property in order to provide each spouse his or her proper share. But when there are no assets large enough to offset the value of the retirement pension, divorce courts must find a way to “equitably distribute” the proceeds of the plan. Dealing with this large asset presented problems in the past as Congress sought to limit the ability to assign proceeds of retirement plans to anyone …

Re-Evaluating The Role Of Companion Animals In The Era Of The Aging Boomer, Rebecca J. Huss

Akron Law Review

This Article is divided into four substantive parts. Part II considers the role of pets in the United States and the impact of companion animals in the lives of seniors. Part III analyzes issues that the elderly may face in keeping or interacting with companion animals in their residences. Part IV analyzes federal laws that ensure that persons with disabilities using service and assistance animals will have access to public accommodations and housing. Part V of this Article considers risks and ethical issues involved with having animals in the lives of the elderly.

Getting The Most Out Of Your 401(K), Emily G. Brown Jd, Jeanne Medeiros Jd

Pension Action Center Publications

Planning for your retirement is an active and ongoing endeavor. It requires a certain amount of diligence and knowledge to ensure you have an adequate amount of financial stability at retirement. In order to safeguard your economic security, it is important to know if you are getting the most out of your 401(k) retirement savings account. This factsheet provides basic information about enrolling in a 401(k) retirement savings account and important items to keep in mind once you are enrolled.

Medicaid Planning For Long-Term Care: California Style, John A. Miller

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Intersection Of Agency Doctrine And Elder Law: Attorney-In-Fact Authority To Arbitrate Nursing Home Claims, 49 J. Marshall L. Rev. 39 (2015), Thomas Simmons

UIC Law Review

With the popularity of durable powers of attorney to manage the estates and personal affairs of individuals with diminished capacity, construction of the scope of powers with which agents are acting is of increasing importance. Some acts should be seen as so inherently personal or so dramatically inconsistent with the expected role of an agent as to be simply outside the scope of agency altogether. Others, such as those involving gifts, self-dealing transactions, or constitutional rights, should be never implied but honored when located within the express terms of an agent’s authority. The remaining powers should be construed and mapped …

Legal Considerations For Assisted Living Facilities, Y. Tony Yang

Journal of Law and Health

The elderly population in the United States will expand drastically over the next few decades; indeed, the number of persons aged 65 or older is expected to swell to approximately 19 percent of the nation’s population by 2030--a staggering statistic in light of the fact that the present population of elderly people constitutes fewer than 13 percent. Largely because of this fact, long-term care for this population is becoming increasingly important. Traditionally, elderly persons who lost the ability to fully care for themselves would enter a healthcare facility known as a nursing home. However, a relatively new alternative exists in …

Medicaid Spend Down, Estate Recovery And Divorce: Doctrine, Planning, And Policy, John A. Miller

Articles

Medicaid is the need-based government program that pays for much of the health care for the poor in the United States. Medicaid often ends up paying the costs of nursing home care for middle-class seniors who have descended into poverty as a result of the high costs of such care. For married couples, Medicaid requires a “spend down” of both spouses’ assets before one spouse can qualify for Medicaid support. This Article posits that, unless the law is changed, divorce may well become standard Medicaid planning practice in many circumstances. This will be especially true for middle and upper-middle-class married …

The Intersection Of Agency Doctrine And Elder Law: Attorney-In-Fact Authority To Arbitrate Nursing Home Claims, Thomas Simmons

Faculty Publications

With the popularity of durable powers of attorney to manage the estates and personal affairs of individuals with diminished capacity, construction of the scope of powers with which agents are acting is of increasing importance. Some acts should be seen as so inherently personal or so dramatically inconsistent with the expected role of any agent as to be simply outside the scope of agency altogether. Others, such as those involving gifts, self-dealing transactions, or constitutional rights, should be never implied but honored when located within the express terms of an agent's authority. The remaining powers should be construed and mapped …

Finding The Middle Ground On A Slippery Slope: Balancing Autonomy And Protection In Mandatory Reporting Of Elder Abuse, Benjamin Pomerance

Marquette Benefits and Social Welfare Law Review

Millions of older Americans suffer from physical, mental, emotional, or financial abuse. Frequently, their abusers are family members, close friends, or other individuals who occupy positions of trust in their elderly victims’ lives. Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors, elder abuse is a tragically underreported crime. Experts estimate that for every case of elder abuse revealed to law enforcement authorities, five more cases go unreported, allowing the abuse to continue unchecked.

To combat this secrecy surrounding elder abuse, federal and state lawmakers enacted statutes requiring certain people— or, in some jurisdictions, all people—to report instances of suspected elder abuse …

A Better Death In Britain?, Barbara A. Noah

Faculty Scholarship

In the United States, patients and physicians often avoid discussing the inevitability of death and planning for it. As a result, opportunities are missed to make choices that comport with patients’ values and preferences. In the absence of such decisions, the default model is to “err on the side of life,” which often results in overtreatment or inappropriate prolongation of life and avoidable suffering. This Article discusses the United States' end-of-life training and care and Britain’s Liverpool Care Pathway as related to end-of-life care availability, quality, and cost. It further sets forth the argument that while the United States' medical …

Understanding The Differences Between Defined Benefit Pension And Defined Contribution, Emily G. Brown Jd, Jeanne Medeiros Jd

Pension Action Center Publications

In recent years, more and more employers are offering employees defined contribution plans instead of defined benefit plans. Although, there has been a shift away from the defined benefit pension plan, it is important for employees to understand the difference and value of both pension plans.

Each type of pension plan has both advantages and disadvantages. What may appear as an advantage to one person might seem to be a disadvantage to another person. For example, a person who spends all or most of her career with a single employer will have very different concerns from someone who changes jobs …

Understanding The Specialized Language Of Retirement Plans, Emily G. Brown Jd, Jeanne Medeiros Jd

Pension Action Center Publications

Whether you are a participant in a defined benefit plan or a defined contribution plan, the realm of pension benefits can be tricky and confusing to navigate. Some of the terminology used might be unfamiliar to the average person. This glossary of common terms associated with retirement plans is meant to serve as a helpful resource for plan participants.

Wills, Trusts, And Estates, J. William Gray Jr., Katherine E. Ramsey

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Grandparents Act As The National Guard Of Their Facilities - All Eager And Ready To Respond When In Need: A Call For Expansion Of Grandparent Visitation Rights In North Carolina, Tricia V. Argentine

North Carolina Central Law Review

No abstract provided.

Subminimum Or Subpar? A Note In Favor Of Repealing The Fair Labor Standards Act's Subminimum Wage Program, Melia Preedy

Seattle University Law Review

This Note argues for the repeal of Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which continues to perpetuate a system allowing employers to pay less than minimum, or “subminimum,” wage to certain employees with disabilities. The Section 14(c) program is a relic of policy leftover from the 1930s and does not help the disabled community, but rather rests on the presumption that persons with disabilities never progress. In light of recent House Resolution 3086, Congress went against the current trend of encouraging maximum independence and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities and instead upheld the subminimum wage program; …