Life Care Planning
Life Care Planning
Life Care Planning – What Is It and Who Needs It?
As our law firm approaches its third year as the ONLY Life Care Planning Law Firm in the Inland Empire, many consumers of our clients remain uncertain as to exactly what Life Care Planning is and how we can assist them.
Life Care Planning is a Family Affair.
Whether your loved one is a parent or spouse or special needs loved one . . . whether you live with your loved one, around the corner, in the next town or across the country . . . dealing with an aged or disabled loved one cause many sleepless nights.
The experienced, supportive and knowledgeable attorneys, geriatric care coordinators and support staff at Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional Law Corporation realize that most people are caught up in today’s hectic pace of living and cannot spend endless hours researching answers to the questions regarding care of an elderly or disabled loved one.
Our job at Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional Law Corporation, is to provide you with the answers that you need, relieve your anxiety and ultimately offer you peace of mind. Through the process of Life Care Planning we establish a relationship that assures life-long quality care for the elderly or special needs family member.
To assure the greatest success, we involve all interested family members so that they better understand where the loved one is within the continuum of care analysis. Although we encourage the family to be involved in the process, the senior or disabled person is the firm’s client and his or her quality of life and wellbeing is our paramount concern.
What is a Life Care Plan?
Life Care Planning is a process whereby the legal, healthcare, social and psychological needs of a frail elder or special needs person are assessed and a plan is developed to meet those needs in an economical fashion that protects and preserves the income and assets of the person to the greatest extent possible. The elements of a Life Care Plan include the assessment of the immediate, mid-term and long-term care needs of the person, followed by the development of a plan to provide the type of assistance the person will need during the various time frames and then determine how to most efficiently pay for that assistance.
A Life Care Plan combines in a single convenient package the elements of protecting and preserving the income and assets of the elder or disabled individual with the assessment and coordination of the care needs for the individual. Our law firm takes a holistic, interdisciplinary team approach in developing these plans – our attorneys, geriatric care coordinator and support staff consult with other legal professionals, health care professionals, financial professionals, durable medical equipment providers, insurance company personnel, employees of various government and charitable organizations, professional care providers and family members in order to determine, obtain and pay for the kind of care our clients deserve. A Life Care Plan answers all the tough questions about your loved one’s long-term care, now and in the future. It’s the ultimate protection for elders and their families.
With a Life Care Plan, the frail elder gets the right care sooner, maximum independence for as long as possible, and the ability to age with dignity. Families get help finding the right care and services; guidance with legal, health care and long-term care decisions as the elder’s condition progresses; and security because the other family members provided for. Like a traditional estate plan, a Life Care Plan includes the legal protection needed to safeguard assets, honor your loved one’s wishes and provide for family members. But it doesn’t stop there. A Life Care Plan diagrams how your loved one’s long-term care, financial, physical and psychological needs will be met. It is a roadmap for total legal care with two simple goals: (1) to maximize your loved one’s quality of life--until the end of life and (2) preserving wealth for your family’s future.
With a Life Care Plan, you never have to wonder if you’re doing everything you can for your loved one. The team at Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional Law Corporation surrounds you with the resources, support, and guidance you need to make decisions with confidence. You are never alone! Our team has years of experience guiding families through situations like the one you may be facing now. We have access to the resources you will need to protect your loved one's quality of life.
Who Needs A Life Care Plan?
If you have a elderly or special needs loved one whose care you are concerned about, your family is a candidate for a Life Care Plan. Whether you have an immediate crisis or you are planning for the future of your elder or special needs person, your family could benefit from having a Life Care Plan in place. Still not sure if you need a Life Care Plan? Call our office to schedule a free, one-hour initial life care planning consultation.
When you call and schedule your free consultation, you will be sent a package of information including directions to our office as well as two questionnaires for you to complete and bring with you to the first meeting. Having this information available for the attorney you will be meeting with will make your free consultation much more productive. The first questionnaire requests information about your elder or special needs loved one, his or her health, physical condition and needs, and questions regarding the other members of the family. The second questionnaire requests information about your elder or special needs loved one’s finances. If you would prefer to download the directions to our office and the family information and asset information questionnaires, click here.
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Karen Griffith Named to Steering Committee and Educational Committee of The Inland Empire Palliative Care Coalition
Karen Griffith, our law firm’s Geriatric Care Coordinator, has been named to the steering committee of The Inland Empire Palliative Care Coalition. Karen also serves on its Education Committee. The Inland Empire Palliative Care Coalition is a membership organization of doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospice care and other health care professionals who are interested in improving end-of-life care. Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional Law Corporation is the only law firm that is a member of the IEPCC.
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Dennis M. Sandoval, A PLC is Admitted as Charter Member of the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association
Our law firm had been admitted as a charter member of the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association. Our law firm is the only law firm in Southern California with a Geriatric Care Coordinator on staff. Karen Griffith, our Geriatric Care Coordinator, works exhaustively to secure the highest of care for our frail elderly and disabled clients. With the growing population of frail elderly and families needing advice regarding in-home care, assisted living and skilled nursing homes, life care planning is a growing area of the law. Click here to learn more about life care planning at our website, www.life-care-planning.com. If you would like more information about life care planning in general as well as the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association, visit www.lcplfa.org.
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Law Firm Sponsors Fourth Annual Inland Empire Caregivers Symposium
We are proud to announce that we are once again sponsoring the Inland Empire Caregiver’s Symposium. This will be the fourth annual event that we have sponsored. The Inland Empire Caregiver’s Symposium has been touted by its attendees and the best educational event for health care professionals that work with the frail elderly and the disabled. The seminar provides seven hours of CE education for registered nurses, licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, RCFE administrators and nursing home administrators. The Symposium will be held March 29, 2009 at The Victoria Club, located at 2521 Arroyo Drive, Riverside, California 92506. To obtain a registration form or to learn more about the symposium agenda, click here.
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Dennis and Karen to Attend Third Annual Life Care Planning Conference
Mr. Sandoval and Ms. Griffith will be attending the Third Annual Conference of the National Association of Life Care Planning Law Firms, which be held in September 2008 in New Orleans. As he has done in the past, Dennis will be a featured speaker at the conference. The conference is the only event of its kind, with Life Care Planning Law Firms from across the United States bringing their attorneys, geriatric care coordinators and other staff who work with the frail elderly and the elderly together to learn and share ideas.
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Karen Griffith to Attend Twentieth Anniversary GCM Conference
Karen will be attending the Twentieth Anniversary Western Regional Chapter of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers conference, to be held in Costa Mesa in September. Over one hundred geriatric care managers and related health care professionals are expected to be in attendance. The theme of the conference is Cultivating Partnerships to Support Those We Serve.
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Pamela Valencia Elected as Co-Chairperson of Riverside County Bar Association Estate Planning Section
Our associate attorney, Pamela Valencia, has been elected as the 2008 / 2009 Co-Chairperson of the Estate Planning Section of the Riverside California Bar Association. We are very proud of Pamela’s achievement.
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Seminars
Click here to learn more about informative seminars being sponsored by our law firm.
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Free Brochures
We have two free brochures that will be of interest to those with loved ones in or about to go into nursing homes:
Inland Empire Nursing Home Guide
Nursing Home Consumer's Guide
We'll mail you a copy if you click here.
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Dennis is Contributing Author of Special Needs Trust Treatise
The California Education of the Bar recently announced the publication of its two-volume treatise entitled Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting and Administration. Dennis is the author of the chapter on Taxation of Special Needs Trusts.
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Dennis Joins Special Needs Alliance
Dennis is proud to announce that he has been invited to join the prestigious Special Needs Alliance, an exclusive organization of attorneys that specialize in planning for special needs persons. Through his affiliation with the Special Needs Alliance, Dennis will have the collective wisdom and planning experience of some of the top special needs planning attorneys in the United States available to him and his special needs clients. Dennis is one of only six Special Needs Alliance members in California. The Special Needs Alliance has slightly over one hundred members nationwide. For more information on special needs estate planning, visit our website at www.cal-special-needs-attorney.com. You can get additional information about the Special Needs Alliance by visiting www.specialneedsalliance.com. If you know of a special needs support group that would like to have Dennis give them a presentation on Special Needs Estate Planning, please contact our office. In the past year, Dennis has made informative and entertaining presentations to various Inland Empire and Orange County support groups dealing with individuals with Down Syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Schlerosis, and ALS.
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Dennis is Named to NAELA Board of Directors
The membership of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys has voted to confirm the nomination of Dennis to the Board of Directors of NAELA. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is the premier membership organization for attorneys specializing in elder law. For more information on NAELA, visit its website at www.naela.org. Dennis will serve on the Board of Directors from 2008 through 2010.
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Dennis is Named to NELF Board of Directors
Dennis has been named to the Board of Directors of the National Elder Law Foundation. The National Elder Law Foundation is the non-profit organization that administers the Certified Elder Law Attorney or CELA designation. To learn more about NELF, click here.
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Dennis is Elected as President of Southern California NAELA Chapter
Dennis has been elected as the 2008 / 2009 president of the Southern California Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. To learn more about the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, click here.
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Mailing Lists and Events
Would you like more information about our law firm? Click here and complete our form to be added to our mailing and promotions list.
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Visit Our Firm’s Other Websites
We have several other websites that might be of interest to you:
http://www.protect-your-wealth.com is our estate planning website. There you will find information about all aspects of estate planning, probate and trust administration, and trust and estate litigation. The site also contains some special information about Legacy Wealth Planning, estate planning for persons with large retirement assets and estate planning for Gay; Lesbian, Bi-Sexual and Trans-Gender individuals and couples.
http://www.cal-elder-lawyer.com is our elder law planning website. There you will find information about planning for receipt of Medi-Cal benefits, planning for receipt of Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits, conservatorships, durable powers of attorney for property, advance health care directives, and HIPAA authorization forms.
http://www.cal-special-needs-attorney.com is our website devoted exclusively to estate planning for your special needs loved one. Our law firm is the “go-to†firm to plan for your child or grandchild with special needs.
http://www.fight-the-taxman.com is our website that contains information about dealing with the IRS and California taxing authorities. We can assist you with resolving your income tax, employment tax, sales tax, or property tax problems. We are admitted to practice before the Internal Revenue Service, the California Franchise Tax Board, the California Board of Equalization, and the California Employment Development Department.
© 2009 Dennis M. Sandoval, A Professional Law Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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