Dementia is an extremely challenging disease and affects millions of families worldwide, but it is still possible to be prepared for the worst.
A Schneps Media webinar with expert guests Julie Wexler, director of business development at The Bristal Assisted Living, and Aaron Futterman, law partner with Futterman, Lanza & Pasculli LLP, offered advice on how to seek the treatment, the proper home, and support for anyone suffering from the disease or anyone caring for a loved dementia patient.
“It’s very very important for us to get the right diagnosis and treatment, remember Dementia is not a normal part of aging,” Wexler said.
With a full understanding of what the disease brings and how to properly treat it, families will have control over their lives.
Futterman lent his expert knowledge of the legal side of the preparations, going into detail on topics having to do with crisis planning. This means putting preparations in place to ease the mind of anyone caring for patients with this disease. Specifically, these documents include Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxy, Living Will, Wills, and Trusts.
These are there to aid caretakers in making decisions that patients of dementia are unable to make for themselves. This is a harsh reality, but a person’s finances, life insurance, or deed to a house are important assets and it is crucial to take proper care of such things.
”You are authorizing someone to handle some very sensitive, delicate things,” Futterman said, emphasizing the importance of choosing the correct agent to speak for a person who is unable to speak for themselves. “So long as that person is an adult, that person can be named as the agent in New York State.”
The webinar is available to anyone on the Schneps Media Youtube page.
