Most of my clients never imagined that they would need assistance with their own long-term care needs. These long-term care needs can range from a family member assisting them with chores around their own home, such as help with meal preparation or shopping, to much more involved assistance outside of their home in an institutional setting. Perhaps these differing needs and expectations are why AARP estimates that less than 10% of seniors have a plan to pay for their own long-term care needs. These same studies estimate that roughly 99 million Americans, or roughly 1/3 of the U.S. population, currently need some assistance because of their age or disability. A recent study published by Genworth estimates that 2/3 of the senior population will need some form of long-term care assistance during their lifetime. This number is expected to continue to increase as our population ages. The statistics associated with the likelihood of needing some form of long-term care assistance are staggering. Therefore, it is essential to learn all you can about long-term care planning and your options before you are in the middle of a crisis. More seniors than ever are being affected by debilitating diseases like Alzheimer's, or suffer sudden unforeseen health events such as stroke. Unfortunately, nursing homes may be the only option for many of these people, and most of them have never considered the possibility that admission into a long-term care facility will become necessary. Further, recent studies have found that less than 10% of the senior population have discussed their long-term care preferences with a spouse or other loved one. Folks facing the looming crisis of a diagnosis of one of these disabling conditions must empower themselves with as much information about these long-term care planning options as one can learn to be able to successfully manage these problems. How you and your family go about facing these challenges and making these important health care and life style decisions can have a significant impact on the quality of your life and the lives of your loved ones. This book is designed to be a resource to people who have identified that some assistance will be necessary for themselves or a loved one. Many Californians are concerned about the "new" changes to the Medi-Cal program. They have heard all sorts of things about those changes, some fact and many fiction. Many Californians believe that it is now virtually impossible to get the benefits that they are entitled to receive. For many Californians this could not be further from the truth. Not only do these benefits continue to exist but more people than ever can qualify for help. Therefore, if you, a family member, or someone close to you is considering their long-term care needs - whether these needs are being taken care of at home or in a long-term care facility, and you are interested in protecting a portion of your assets from the high cost of care, you need to read this book. If you are interested in protecting the quality of life to which you or your loved ones have grown accustomed, you need to read this book. The information in this book will provide you with a foundation to help you understand the issues involved in long-term care, and help familiarize you with the topic of long-term care planning and the various programs available to help with the cost of long-term care. -Richard Scott Stewart
About the Author: Richard Scott Stewart has concentrated his law practice on solving the legal problems affecting the California senior population. These problems include Medi-Cal benefit law, estate planning and asset protection and retention. Mr. Stewart graduated from California Western School of Law in 1995. He is a member of the California Bar, San Diego County Bar Association and California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform as well as the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Mr. Stewart served as Co-Chair of the San Diego County Bar Association Elder Law Section in 2006, 2007 and 2011. In this position he was responsible for directing the continuing education programs for the San Diego County Bar Association for other Southern California Elder Law Attorneys. He has also been named both a Top Lawyer and Best Lawyer in the Elder Law field by Palm Springs Life Magazine. Avvo has rated him as a superb attorney with a perfect score of 10 out of 10 since 2010. He previously sat on the Board of Directors for the George G. Glenner Alzheimer Family Centers. Mr. Stewart has appeared as a regular guest on the Lawyer in Blue Jeans radio show, heard on KSDO 1130. He has also appeared on Close Up on San Diego Business heard on KCBQ 1170 and The Retirement Architect Radio Show heard on KFMB 760. He has also appeared on KGTV Channel 10 News and KUSI Channel 9 News. He currently conducts seminars on elder law and aging topics throughout Southern California for caregiver support groups. He regularly appears before the Alzheimer's Association in both San Diego and Riverside Counties, the Parkinson's Association of both San Diego and Riverside Counties, San Diego OASIS, Care Connexxus, Southern Caregivers Association, the Southern Caregiver's Resource Center, Rotary Association, and YMCA. He is also an active member of the Caregiver Coalition of San Diego and a founding member of the Elder Care Resource Team. Mr. Stewart also conducts regular educational programs on Medi-Cal eligibility and long-term care issues for the Society of Certified Financial Advisors, National Business Institute, The Western Regional Chapter of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, The Southern California Institute, Scripps Hospital, Sharp Hospital, Pomerado Hospital and the North County Probate Division of the San Diego Superior Court. Mr. Stewart's practice is devoted to estate planning, asset protection and retention, and other elder law issues.