ELDERPLANNING101
  • Quick Start
  • Make an Assessment
  • Have a Family Meeting
  • Start Your Care Plan
  • Essential Personal Information
  • Plan for Incapacity
  • Are you the Caregiver?
  • Future Living Arrangements
  • Assisted Living/Nursing Home Rules
  • Medicare/Medigap/LTC
  • Finances and Government/Medicaid
  • Medicaid Planning
  • Our End of Life Decision
  • We Can Help
  • Who We Are

​You are not doctors, but as your parents grow older you can watch for obvious warning signs:

Difficulty with daily activities, memory problems, trouble with banking and finances, multiple falls, problems with driving; forgetting medications.  When you develop a Care Plan, informally or with a geriatric care manager, you will arrange help (assign tasks or hire help) based on ADL's and IADLs deficiencies.
Check for:
Hygiene:  Poor self-care and bathing habits are often signs that health is declining.
Nutrition:   Weight loss and spoiled food indicate poor nutrition.
Household: Unpaid bills, unanswered mail, unwashed dishes show decline.
General Health/Signs of Injury  Mom or Dad has clearly fallen or bumped their head.
Disorientation   Mom or Dad don't know what day it is, can’t find the right words, lose their way. Forgets the way while driving.


All elderly person’s abilities and needs are assessed formally into two categories: Activities of Daily Living (ADLs); and, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL’s). These categories become important when considering the need for a nursing home or assisted living facility. 

ADLS include bathing, eating, dressing, speech, breathing on your own and using the bathroom. 
IADL's are less basic like driving and housekeeping.


Part of your concerns should be related to  the potential for Elder Fraud.  Read about the most common frauds elders are exposed to.:


Social Security Fraud
IRS Fraud
Medicare Fraud
(where people impersonate a government official)
Charity Fraud


Inquire about the Folstein Mini Mental Exam to test for competency and mental decline. Get a professional assessment from a geriatrician.
After an Assessment  Have a Family Meeting
See How We Can Help
Administration on Aging The Administration on Aging (AOA) is the principal agency of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services designated to carry out the provisions of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (OAA)
WebMD WebMD provides valuable health information, tools for managing your health, and support to those who seek information.
National Institute of Mental Health Transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses.
CDC Healthy Aging Resources from Center for disease control and prevention.
HealthinAging.org From the America Geriatrics Society
National Institute on Aging NIA is the primary Federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer's disease research.
Guardian Insurance List of 100 Best Aging Online Resources
Alzheimers Association  Find resources based on zip code.
AARP Health  Great information and local references.



Call Me: 
650.625.7300



Copyright © 2022 Richard H. Schwachter J.D. All Rights Reserved
Elder planning is a very broad subject! The information offered here is generic and not state-specific. No legal advice is offered. Our approach is to "open the door" to the issues and encourage your family to get the specific help they need.  

  • Quick Start
  • Make an Assessment
  • Have a Family Meeting
  • Start Your Care Plan
  • Essential Personal Information
  • Plan for Incapacity
  • Are you the Caregiver?
  • Future Living Arrangements
  • Assisted Living/Nursing Home Rules
  • Medicare/Medigap/LTC
  • Finances and Government/Medicaid
  • Medicaid Planning
  • Our End of Life Decision
  • We Can Help
  • Who We Are