Senior Matters Podcast

Advanced care planning is something that everyone needs but often avoids until it's too late. Margie Zamzow joins us from Saint Alphonsus to discuss planning for future medical care needs and communicating your wishes to loved ones.

We previously aired an episode discussing "Five Big VA Lies" that hit home with many listeners. The feedback was not surprising since Veterans are frequently met with untruths when it comes to navigating their benefits. With so many misconceptions surrounding the Veterans Pension benefit, we are taking another look at this topic in today's episode.

Alzheimer's can be a heartbreaking diagnosis. If someone close to you was recently diagnosed, take a breath and know there are resources and strategies to help you along this journey. On this episode, Attorney Mark Wight shares ways you can approach the onset of Alzheimer's to ensure the best quality of life for you and your loved one.

Many aging citizens with moderate income and assets may eventually need to rely on Medicaid to pay part or all of their long-term care costs. For most Medicaid recipients, their house is the only asset available if the state chooses to recoup benefits paid for the recipient's care. However, with proper planning, there are ways to protect your home and qualify for Medicaid. On this episode, we discuss a few of those options.

Divorce can affect many aspects of your life, including your estate plans. If you fail to complete all of the paperwork associated with your divorce, you and your intended beneficiaries could run into unexpected issues down the line. On this episode, Attorney Mark Wight discusses the changeable nature of family law and the potential effects to your estate plan.

Joint tenancy is one of the most common forms of asset ownership. When one or more persons hold title to an asset as joint tenants, each of them owns the asset. The full legal expression for this form of ownership is Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship (JTWROS). Nevertheless, as with most things in life, there are hidden hazards when it comes to this form of asset ownership. On this episode, Attorney Mark Wight breaks down some of the potential hazards of joint ownership & why keeping your beneficiary designations current is vital to the success of your estate plan.

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. On June 21, 2018, the longest day of the year and summer solstice, the Alzheimer's Association is encouraging people to join together to help end Alzheimer's. On this episode, we are joined by Catherine Owens, Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Association Greater Idaho Chapter, to discuss the devastating effects of this disease and ways you can help raise funds for awareness and care.

It's time to dispel some of the misconceptions of the VA Pension Benefit and get into the facts. Although there are well-meaning people working to help our Vets, there is a considerable amount of inaccurate information going around. Backed by extensive training and several years of assisting Veterans to qualify for claims, the Idaho Estate Planning team knows this area of the law.

Is it possible for elderly Veterans who enjoy their independence to age in place? Attorney Mark Wight believes with good preparation it is. On this episode, learn how planning for potential challenges that come with aging makes it possible for Veterans to remain in the comfort of their own home.

Eric Collett joins us from A Mind of All Seasons LLC to discuss Alzheimer's dementia. Eric shares some of the underlying causes of this disease and the importance of improving the quality of life of dementia patients and their caregivers.