If something happens to you and you can’t manage your affairs, how will your affairs get managed?

That’s the basic question answered by the power of attorney, a legal document that allows you to appoint someone to manage your property, medical, or financial affairs. A power of attorney is an important part of any estate plan, and anyone over 18 can create one. In fact, the power of attorney is often the first document people think to create whey they are ready to start formalizing plans for their future.

What’s a typical day like for an elder care coordinator in a Life Care Planning Law Firm? Cassandra Ignatowicz, an elder care coordinator at LawyerLisa, a Life Care Planning Law Firm in Lexington, South Carolina, laughs at the suggestion that any day is typical. “No two days are alike,” she said, “and that’s one of the things I love about my work.”

By Kevin Pillon, CELA

I came to Life Care Planning in the way that many other attorneys do. I had a successful career as an estate planning attorney in Washington, D.C., until I was suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver for my mother and father after they were both diagnosed with dementia. Eventually, I left my work to focus completely on my parents. They had always loved their home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and that’s where they wanted to stay as they aged. My goal was to honor their wishes.

By Chris Johnson

When I ask people why they don’t apply for VA benefits they might be entitled to, I often hear things like this:

• It will be too hard.
• It will take too long.
• I don’t have the time.
• I won’t qualify, so why bother.
• No one ever gets these benefits, so why try?

Family caregivers, keep your eyes open! Financial scams targeting seniors have become so common that they are now considered “the crime of the 21st century.” These crimes are devastating to older adults and can leave them in a very vulnerable position with little time to recoup their losses.

When it’s time to choose a long-term care facility, how can you be confident you’re making the right decision? How can working with an elder care coordinator in a Life Care Planning Law Firm make the process easier?

Cassandra Ignatowicz can answer these questions. As an elder care coordinator at LawyerLisa, a Life Care Planning Law Firm in Lexington, South Carolina, Cassandra is involved in residential placements every day. She believes that relying on the guidance of an elder care coordinator pays benefits families in four ways.

By Joshua Hunter

When I was in college, I worked as a hands-on caregiver for a home care company. One of my clients—I’ll call him Sam—had vascular dementia. I helped him three days a week for 12 hours a day.

By Lisa Hostetler Brown

I decided that I wanted to be a lawyer when I was twelve years old. I didn’t have a backup plan. Nobody ever said, "Well, what if you don't get into law school?" I've always known that law was the profession for me.

When I graduated from law school in 2007, I got a job working as an attorney for a general practice firm that handled real estate cases. This was transactional work. You met your client at the signing, and then they were gone. Maybe you would hear from them a decade later. Maybe not.