Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog
According to Michigan.gov, Michigan has over 1.2 million drivers that are age 65 and older. By 2025, it is expected that one in five drivers will be 65 and older. This is a trend that is sweeping across the country with more older drivers on the road than ever before. A person's ability to drive can mean everything to them; it serves not just as a means of getting from Point A to Point B, but it also represents their independence and personal freedom.
However data shows that driving gets riskier with age and while old age alone is not a reason to stop driving, a number of physical and mental conditions, such as dementia and vision/hearing impairment, can lead to an unsafe driver getting behind the wheel and possibly hurting themselves or others. So at one point does it become obvious that a senior driver must be told to give up the keys?
Please note that the information in the following blog post is meant to act only as a general guide. Medicaid is an extremely complex area and varies based on the individual. Your questions need to be addressed by an attorney with significant experience in the area prior to taking any action.
As we age and begin to need more assistance, we often hear the terms 'Medicare' and 'Medicaid' used interchangeably, but they are different on a number of fronts. Medicare is a federal program funded through tax payers and is based on age, although special circumstances such as certain disabilities, allow younger people to qualify. Medicaid is managed by individual states so the elements in the program can vary by region. Eligibility for Medicaid is based on income and resources available to the individual.
The COVID pandemic has and continues to take both a physical and mental toll on senior citizens. In addition to being the most vulnerable to the virus and having to endure long isolation periods from family and friends, the pandemic has also brought with it a whole new variety of frauds targeting older adults.
With 2020 in the rear view mirror and 2021 well underway, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to generate urgency for elder law planning for those most at risk. May is National Elder Law Month which allows the opportunity to educate seniors in local communities about their legal options and places an emphasis on the importance of planning early to ensure their wishes are in a legally binding format.
