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Be Sure to Check also: |
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129 Church Street
Suite 805
New Haven, CT
06510
203-776-4400
Fax: 774-1060
PLANNING
FOR THE ELDERLY IN CONNECTICUT
CONSUMER
LINKS PAGE - updated August, 2011
Best new thing in the world today (not
that new) (thanks Rachel)
TO ENLARGE FONT -- USING YOUR KEYBOARD HIT CTRL AND "+"
key
to reduce font size hit CTRL and "-" key
| Click
for Lawyer's links |
Click
for Articles |
Click
for main elder law page |
Click
for General Info |
Click
for Nursing Homes |
Click
for Assisted Living and other Institutional Options |
Click
for Home Care and Other Care Resources |
Click
for Medical Care and Info |
Click
for Resources about Estate Planning and Taxes |
|
General
Links and Links on
Benefits, Programs:
|
Organizations
/ Websites of GENERAL INTEREST |
Web address |
| 211ct |
211ct.org
-- you can search for lots of topics for consumers including for seniors |
| AARP |
www.aarp.org |
| Alzheimers
Organization |
www.alz.org |
| Benefits Checkup pages
from the National Council on Aging
(both take you to the same welcome page) |
www.BenefitsCheckup.org |
| CT CHOICES program - help
choosing supplemental insurance, help with insurance problems. Call a local
agency on aging or check this site |
www.ct.gov/agingservices/cwp/view.asp?a=2511&q=313032 |
| Connecticut
Department of Social Services Services Aging Services Division, State
Unit on Aging Obviously LOTS of stuff here. Includes detailed information on programs for seniors and those with disabilities, the Department's Elderly Services Manual, available online, and aging services publications, (including the "periodical" Age Matters) |
www.ctelderlyservices.state.ct.us Click to find the local Area Agency on Aging - the agencies offer all kinds of respite and other services and resources and in some regions operate the home care program for elders. PROTECTIVE SERVICES: To report cases of suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation, call the toll-free In State referral line at 1-888-385-4225, Out of State call Infoline at 1-800-203-1234. After Hours Elder Abuse Emergencies, In State call Infoline at 211, Out of State call Infoline at 1-800-203-1234. (I'm tired of the State changing the location for this information on its website!) |
|
CTElderLaw - consumer-oriented website on a multiplicity of topics for CT elderly |
|
|
CT
Partnership for Long-term Care. |
The Partnership page has a URL too
long to cite -- click
here. |
| H.E.L.P.
- California nonprofit with an array of helpful consumer-oriented
publications. Caution: state-specific information will be
very different than in CT |
www.help4srs.org/ |
|
Disability "help links" on this site - further links to where to find housing, where to find health care, etc. |
|
| Elder
law links on this site -- lots of super-detailed and often technical
information about CT elder law, Medicaid qualification and so forth
including forms and tools. Intended for professionals but
you can too. If it's not here it's probably there (or on the
disability links page) |
www.sharinglaw.net/elder/lawlinks.htm and for CASES of interest on CT elder law: www.sharinglaw.net/elder/keycases.htm |
|
The National Health Law Project |
|
|
National Association of Elder Law attorneys: Click on the button that says "find an elder law attorney" |
|
| National
Council on Aging A national nonprofit advocacy group. Includes information about long-term care insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and Medigap insurance and a list of publications for sale. |
http://www.ncoa.org/ |
|
National Senior Citizens Law Center |
www.nsclc.org |
| Senior Citizens resources on USA.gov | http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml Developed as a cooperative effort under the aegis of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government and maintained by the Social Security Administration, this site provides access to government services and information covering a wide range of issues (from Social Security to travel tips). You can also sign up for a mailing list. |
|
Social
Security Online - this has gotten progressively more user-friendly but
is a very dense site! |
Facilities
and Home Care:
| Nursing Home Information |
|
|
Find a nursing home or other facility on the "Elder Care Locator" |
|
| Get
the low-down on individual nursing homes from Medicare's "nursing home
compare" page |
www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/home.asp |
| Find the cost of nursing home care in your area | https://www.ltcfeds.com
- click on the button for "cost of care in your area." You may also get this information for CT by checking the website of the Long-Term Care Partnership, here |
| Read the Alzheimer's
association guide on "how to tour a nuring home" |
www.alz.org/alzwa/documents/Tour_Nursing_Home.pdf |
| Download the CT Department of Public Health's book on nursing homes in Connecticut |
Index to
Public Health Department book on nursing homes (PDF) |
| Find out about nursing homes at the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) - including a page summarizing nursing home residents rights | www.nursinghomeaction.org. Great organization, but, impossible website (IMHO). (I mean what can you say when there is a choice of font sizes but it is too small to see if you would have preferred the large size?) You CAN order on-line their invaluable publication "Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There" but I nearly gave up and went to Amazon. check bottom right hand corner of home page or Click HERE to get to the order page! See also Consumer Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home -- PDF |
| National Senior Citizens Law Center |
View free download or
purchase Eric Carlson's 20 Common Nursing Home Problems and How to Resolve Them |
| Assisted Living and other institutional
options |
|
|
Find an assisted living facility |
|
| Consumer Consortion on Assisted Living - you can order "Choosing an Assisted Living Facility: Considerations for Making the Right Decision" - 2nd Edition | www.ccal.org |
|
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities - Find an accredited "continuing care retirement community" |
www.carf.org/Consumer.aspx?Content=CCACSearch |
| Home care and other kinds of help |
|
|
Find a geriatric care manager |
|
|
Contact
the Area
Agencies on Aging CHOICES program - administers home health care in
Connecticut - call for assessment and assistance in finding home care
even if you don't qualify for financial help. |
Check
out the various regional Agencies on Aging: |
|
Use 2111ct search tool to find a CT home care agency |
|
|
Get
Dept. of Social Services 2000 "Elderly Housing Directory" - PDF (big
file) |
Click for the Manual - the link is too long to show! |
|
Get help with pet expenses: Humane society page (too long to show) |
Humane Society page (www.hsus.org) |
|
1-800-Wheelchairs.com:
Commercial site selling Bathroom Assistance, Bedroom Products,
Communication Aides, Diabetic Supplies, Lift Chairs, Walkers, Scooters
and of course, Wheelchairs. (NO ENDORSEMENT IMPLIED) |
Medical and
Health or Health Insurance Information:
| FORMS:
Link to CTElderLaw.org
information on advanced health care directives including "do it yourself" forms -- good
to talk to your lawyers or others about these, but don't let that hold
you back from doing this very important document. |
www.CTElderLaw.org On this topic: http://www.ctelderlaw.org/living_wills.asp |
| Alzheimers Organization | www.alz.org |
|
Alzheimer's
Disease Research Center --
lots of information including PDF
definition of Alzheimers |
Center's
page is: http://alzheimer.wustl.edu Alzheimer’s
Association
message boards and chat
rooms: ElderCare Online
Forum: |
|
National
Institute on Aging publications, etc. (nia.nih.gov) |
Caregiver Guide |
|
Connecticut
Hospice, Inc. |
|
|
Center for Medicare Advocacy: FREE assistance, counseling, and help with appeals of Medicare denials |
|
| Medicare.gov |
Medicare
has really gone all-out to provide user-friendly information here about
Medicare coverage and even treatment. |
|
Various sites with information about prescription discount cards and prescription plans |
www.rxnorth.com (Canadian) |
Estate Planning, Taxes, and Finances: (work in progress)
| Forms: DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY |
FORMS: a durable power of attorney is a very powerful document and you SHOULD get legal advice. However, there are times when a durable power of attorney is simply an essential tool to help your family members get access to your records, sign forms etc. for your benefit, and on these occasions, you should not be held up by the cost and difficulty of obtaining legal help when time is short. If the benefits outweigh the risks of doing so, you can use this do-it-yourself form on the website of CTElderLaw.org, run by Connecticut Legal Services. Read the information. Exercise caution. This is not legal advice from me |
| Our laws: state statutes in
Connecticut. Try it! |
Entire Connecticut
General Statutes 2011 compilation (NB: if out of date, replace the year included the URL link with the current or most recent ODD-NUMBERED year. ALSO check for updates in even-number years) Search statutes, Public Acts |
| CT
estate tax return for non-taxable estates |
This is the form you file and then get to pay CT's "death tax" known as the "probate fee." This is required on the death of ANY state resident even one that dies without any need for probate. See my article. The CT 706 NT is the form and I'm linking it in case you/your familiy doesn't otherwise need to access the probate system and wants to try this one alone -- although you get what you pay for! :) Current year CT 706 and CT 706-NT; |
| Savings Bonds (TreasuryDirect) | http://www.savingsbonds.gov/BC/SBCPrice Treasury Dept. site for determining current value of US savings bonds |
| CT State Treasurer "name it and claim it" site |
Lost property (at least, in
Connecticut) http://www.ctbiglist.com/ |
| Immediate Annuity site |
http://www.immediateannuities.com/ You can get a ballpark figure for what dollars are reuqired to reduce what benefit and for how long- helpful for planning. |
List of Articles Referred to on the main Elderly Planning Page:
Slideshow: Medicaid and Long-Term Care
in Connecticut (last updated
November 10, 2008)
-
"What if I give it all away?" Questions and Answers about the Medicaid Transfer Rules in Connecticut see the ALERT above for some important changes)
-
Getting Ready to Be on Medicaid in Connecticut: How Should You "Spend Down"?
-
Funding College with Section 529 Plan Gifts: Benefits and Pitfalls
- Paying
for Staying at Home: Reverse Mortgages
Other places to write or call: (please give me
feedback on this information so I can keep it current)
Connecticut Programs and Information:
Elder Rights/Protective Services. Investigates
potential cases of elder abuse, neglect, abandonment or exploitation of
persons 60 and over including monitoring and linkage with community
based services. 1-888-385-4225 or 1-860-424-5241; after
hours/weekends Infoline 800-203-1234.
Connecticut Home Care Program for
Elders. Offers home and community based services as an
alternative to institutional placement. Program is available to
Connecticut residents aged 65 and older who qualify financially and
functionally. 1-800-445-5394 or 1-860-424-5181. For
eligibility information, see the "Home
Care" page of the CTElderLaw.org
website. The Department
of Social
Services also has information.
CHOICES, help for Connecticut
residents in selecting appropriate "Medigap" or Medicare supplemental
insurance: 1-800-994-9422, Connecticut's program for Health Insurance
Assistance, outreach, information and Referral Counseling and
Eligibility Screening" (affiliated with the Area Agencies on Aging.)
The State website is impossible to write out! CLICK.
Connecticut Hospice, Inc., 61 Burban
Drive, Branford, CT 06405. Tel: (203) 481-6231, Fax: (203)
483-9539, email: cthospc@interserv.com.
Connecticut Hospice provides care for those in the terminal stages of
illness.
Information on Reverse Mortgages:
www.aarp.org/money/revmort -- AARP's site complete
with calculator.
http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hecm/hecmhome.cfm
- the government's site on HECM reverse mortgages.
National Center for Home Equity Conversion
(NCHEC) has a
site comparing many companies. http://www.reverse.org/
The following documents may be somewhat dated, so check the updates.
"Money from Home: A Consumer's Guide to
Reverse Mortgage
Options." Write to FannieMae, 3900 Wisconsin Avenue NW,
Washington,
DC 20016-2899.
"Facts for Consumers -- Reverse Mortgages,"
published by
the Federal Trade Commission, Office of Consumer/Business
Education, Washington, D.C. 20580.
"Home Made Money," published by AARP,
lists key questions to ask, offers less costly alternatives to reverse
mortgages, and includes information on obtaining reverse mortgage
counseling. The guide can be ordered online or by calling toll
free 1-800-424-3410.
You can order online by sending email to RMinfo@aarp.org.
"Your New Retirement Nest Egg," by Ken
Scholen, available from The National Center for Home Equity
Conversion, 7373 147th Street West, Suite 115, Apple Valley, MN
55124.
Help with Medicare and Medigap Insurance
Help with Medicare Issues: Center for Medicare Advocacy,
P.O. Box 350, Willimantic, CT 06226. 1-860-456-7790. Free
assistance for Connecticut residents in most cases.
Help selecting appropriate "Medigap" or
Medicare supplemental insurance: CHOICES, 1-800-994-9422,
Connecticut's program for Health Insurance Assistance, outreach,
information and Referral
Counseling and Eligibility Screening" (affiliated with the Area
Agencies
on Aging.) You can also check the CT Insurance
Department site for Medigap policies.
General:
American Association of Retired Persons,
Consumer Affairs Division, 601 E Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
20049, telephone (202) 434-2277. http://www.aarp.org
National Association on Area Agencies on
Aging (www.n4a.org), 1112 16th Street,
NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, telephone
(202) 296-8130 (maintains a nationwide "Eldercare Locator
Number," a toll-free number for information about public programs
for older Americans. Call 1-800-677-1116).
Brookdale Center on Aging, Hunter College, 425
East 25th
Street, New York, NY 10010. Tel: (212) 481-4426; Fax: (212)
481-5069. Many useful publications.
DISCLAIMER:
THIS INFORMATION IS NOT PROVIDED AS LEGAL ADVICE AND
CREATES NO ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP. NO ENDORSEMENT IS
INTENDED BY ANY REFERENCES HEREIN. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR OWN LEGAL
AND FINANCIAL ADVISORS BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION.
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Davis
Davis O'Sullivan & Priest LLC
129 Church Street, Suite 805
New Haven, CT, 06510
Phone: 203-776-4400
Fax: 203-774-1060 or 776-4411
email: davis@sharinglaw.net