Here are white papers on topics of frequent interest:
Ten Reasons To Create An Estate Plan Now
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
Planning for A Child With Special Needs
Your Guide to Estate Planning for Digital Assets
If anyone else (grandparents, friends, siblings, etc.) ever cares for your minor children, you will want to complete this Medical Authorization for Treatment of a Minor Child for each of your kids. Be sure to have each one notarized!
For Georgia Seniors & Their Families
For Georgia Seniors 60+, Grandparent Caregivers, Their Loved Ones With Legal Questions:
Begun in 1998, the Georgia Senior Legal Hotline is a cooperative project among Atlanta Legal Aid Society, the Georgia Division of Aging Services, the State Bar Pro Bono Project and the Atlanta Bar Association. It offers legal advice, brief services, self-help materials and referrals to seniors throughout the state, handling more than 4200 calls a year. This project serves seniors 60+ (and grandparent caregivers of any age caring for minor grandchildren) living anywhere in Georgia.
To call from the Metro Atlanta calling area: (404) 657-9915
To call from outside Atlanta, toll- free: 1-888-257-9519
Georgia Area Agencies on Aging:
Georgia’s Department of Human Resources includes the Division of Aging Services, which provides services across the state through twelve regional Area Agencies on Aging (AAA). To find your regional AAA, click here. These services may be available in your geographic area:
- Help at Home
- Nutrition & Wellness
- Programs for Caregivers
- Protecting Rights and Safety
- Medicare and Insurance Answers
- Other Programs & Services
For Families Seeking A Personal Care Home or Nursing Home For A Loved One, Or With A Loved One In A Nursing Home:
Searching for the right environment for a loved one who needs a personal care home or nursing home is a tough, time-consuming, and sometimes overwhelming process. (I write this from experience.) You’ll need lots of support from family and friends. Fortunately, the State Bar of Georgia’s pamphlets provide excellent overviews of some important questions you should ask, and critical resources for you and for your loved one who is a care home or nursing home resident. Click on the links below to view PDFs of each brochure.
Selecting A Personal Care Home in Georgia
Selecting A Nursing Home in Georgia
The Legal Rights of Nursing Home Residents in Georgia
For Seniors & Their Families Everywhere
There are three blogs on caregiving & aging topics that I frequently visit and would recommend:
New Old Aging is the New York Times blog on caring for aging parents. What I love about this blog is that everyday people share their stories about caregiving for aging family members alongside posts by geriatricians, social workers, and sometimes an elder law attorney.
Changing Aging is geriatrician Dr. Bill Thomas’ blog about trends in how people think about meeting the needs of aging Americans. Eclectic content, but he prides himself on trying to think innovatively about long-standing challenges, like ways of improving nursing homes for the residents who live there. He is one the driving forces behind the Eden Alternative, a movement to make nursing homes more dynamic, interactive, and, ultimately, happier.
Time Goes By is a much less-focused (much more eclectic) group of six bloggers who write often on their experiences, and about what inspires them, challenges them, and makes them laugh.
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For Georgia Residents With Disabilities (& Their Families)
If you are a Georgia resident with a special needs child, Emory University School of Medicine’s Pediatrics Department maintains an excellent webpage on Georgia Resources for Children with Special Needs.
The Georgia Advocacy Office makes a wide range of advocacy-related services available to Georgians with disabilities at no charge. Its services include
- Information on and referral to programs serving disabled Georgians
- Technical assistance, advice and support in self advocacy
- Assistance in advocacy, negotiation, or mediation on behalf of individuals
- Investigation of allegations of abuse, neglect, or violations of rights
- Public information and education regarding the needs and rights of people with disabilities
- Multicultural outreach to unserved or underserved groups of persons with disabilities
- Identification of problems in the system of service delivery and advocacy for systemic change
Check back here in the future for even more helpful resources of interest for Georgia residents seeking information about services for aging and special needs individuals, and for helpful estate planning tools.
