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YOUR LEGAL UPDATE
APRIL 2014 |
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The Attorneys at Dutton & Casey
Helen Mesoloras, Janna Dutton,
Kathryn Casey, Hanny Pei-Rodriguez
Appointments Are Available In:
Arlington Heights, Chicago, Skokie, and Westchester |
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE DECISIONS DAY |

The 7th annual National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16.
This initative was started to encourage adults of all ages to plan ahead for their healthcare.
Dont you, and those you care about, want to have a say in your future?
learn more |
CHOOSING AN ELDER LAW ATTORNEY |

The process of finding and choosing an elder law attorney begins by identifying that you need an elder law attorney. So, the question is: Why would you ever need an elder law attorney?
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Do you or a loved one have questions about paying for long-term care?
- Do you need information on Medicaid planning?
- Are your wills and powers of attorney up to date and in compliance with current law?
- Do you need advice on what kind of care your loved one needs and what their rights are?
- Are you looking to preserve assets for the duration of your illness?
- Are you concerned about assets being left for a spouse's care in the future?
- Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with dementia, Parkinson's Disease, ALS or any other chronic medical condition which will, most likely, require long-term care?
- Do you need to pursue guardianship on behalf of a loved one?
- Do you or a loved one have a disability that you need to, legally, plan for?

Read more about elder law attorneys
Read about the 4 C's of Elder Law |
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When you think of Parkinson's, you think of a tremor, right? This month we would like to call attention to some of the lesser known facts about this disease.
Did you know that Parkinson's disease...
- Is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease affecting approximately one million people in the US.
- Occurs in every race, ethnic group, and genders, although at slightly different rates.
- Does not always cause tremors - about 25% of people diagnosed with the disease will either not tremor at all or have only a slight tremor. Their main symptoms will be muscle stiffness and slowness of movement.
- Is classified as a neuropsychiatric disorder because people with the disease can have depression, anxiety, changes in thinking and learning, and in about 20% of cases develop Parkinson's dementia.
- Is most often diagnosed in people in their late 50's or early 60's, but can occur in rare cases in children in their late teens and young adults in their 20's.
- Can have a wide variety of non-motor symptoms such as vision changes, constipation, sweating, pain, loss of sense of smell, seborrheic dermatitis, and others.
- Has four cardinal symptoms: resting tremor, slowness of movement, muscle rigidity, and a change in gait or balance. You must have at least two of these symptoms for the neurologist to make a diagnosis.
If you or someone you know has PD or thinks they might have it, you can find more information on the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) website at www.parkinson.org or by contacting the toll-free Helpline at 1-800-473-4636.
Author:
Paula McFeely Wiener, MSW, LCSW
NPF Parkinson's Disease Information Specialist |
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INPATIENT OR OBSERVATION STATUS
IN THE HOSPITAL |
 | MAKE SURE YOU KNOW YOUR STATUS |
Medicare beneficiary's inpatient or outpatient status in a hospital affects the way that Medicare bills the beneficiary, as well as whether the patient qualifies for Skilled Nursing Facility care following the hospital stay, so it is vital for a beneficiary to understand their rights.
Information is available from the Center for Medicare Advocacy that describes the issue surrounding observation status and provides steps that patients can take to try and resolve the issue.
view the packet
Note: In Illinois, hospitals are not required to tell a patient if they are being put under observation status or being admitted to the hospital, so it is important for the patient to ask.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid wrote a factsheet about the difference between inpatient and outpatient status:
view the fact sheet

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source: Make Medicare Work Coalition
learn more about the Coalition |
PREMISE ALERT PROGRAM |
This resource has been mentioned before, but, because of the importance, we are sharing it again.
On August 28, 2009, the Illinois Premise Alert Program Act (PAP) became law in Illinois.
This is a safety program that supports individuals living with disabilities, as well as police and paramedics responding to calls at a specific address. This program requires 911 call centers to maintain a database of information about individuals with special needs when requested by families, caregivers, or the individuals themselves.
The program assists local police departments in identifying individuals who have special needs, which will enable responding police officers and paramedics to have additional information at their disposal in the event of an emergency.
For more information on the Premise Alert Program, call the non-emergency police department phone number in the city where you live. |
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |

For both community members, and professionals, we have many programs scheduled.
including:
- Taking Control of Your Future - May 13 in Chicago
- Navigating Legal Issues for Family Caregivers - May 14 in Barrington
- Navigating Legal Issues for Family Caregivers - May 31 in Oak Lawn
- Taking Control of Your Future - June 4 in Melrose Park
- Elder Law and Ethics, 2014 - September 10 in Evanston
learn more |
SOCIAL MEDIA |
We are on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 
Please ' 'like us," "connect to us," and "follow-us" to receive updates on topics dealing with estate planning, probate, elder law, our programs for the community and professionals, and much more. |
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Serving Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties in Illinois.
Office Hours in Arlington Heights, Chicago,
Skokie, and Westchester, Illinois. |
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