Is your spouse or a loved one in a nursing home, or may be soon? Are you contemplating financial assistance but afraid of losing what you worked so hard for? Do you sometimes struggle, feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and confused? There’s hope...

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With the federally enacted (and quite strict) health-care privacy rules now in force, it's more important than ever that everyone have an Advance Health-Care Directive that explicitly names those persons entitled to access health-care information about them.

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As more of us are retiring and rolling over large 401(k) and other retirement plans to IRAs, proper tax and estate planning for IRAs have become critically important.

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Instead of receiving their inheritance directly, each beneficiary may receive it in a special trust, which "springs" out of your Living Trust. This continuing "Personal Asset Trust" can be controlled by each beneficiary in such a manner as to give them virtually all of the same rights as ownership, without the liability exposures ownership brings.

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This is a way to put aside assets for a disabled child without endangering your (or your child's) eligibility for government benefits. These are appropriate for most families, especially those wealthy enough to leave a home to a child. But, to be sure, you need to speak with an Elder Law attorney because legislative changes could cause the house to be counted as an asset and disqualify the child from SSI and Medicaid.

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There are very few sources of help in covering the costs of long-term care for those who do not have long-term care insurance. Most uninsured families pay from their own pockets until they have spent almost all their money. Then they can usually get approved for Medicaid. For most people, Medicaid is the only form of long-term care assistance they can receive from the government. In addition to planning for the costs of a nursing home, what about in-home care or assisted living?

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Many people do not know if or when Medicaid will cover nursing home costs, which can run between

$75,000 and $100,000 or more yearly. Not many people can pay these costs out of their regular income. So, it doesn't take long to lose a significant portion, if not all, of one's life savings. Long-term care insurance is too expensive for many older people. And if the person is already sick, they may be uninsurable. What do you do if you can't get insurance and don't want to lose your assets (including possibly your home)?

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Your estate consists of all the assets you have accumulated during your lifetime. It includes everything titled in your name or in which you have any legal right of ownership. These assets include bank accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, retirement plan assets, life insurance, your home, a vacation home, farm or rural land, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, vehicles, business interests, your personal effects, and anything else you own or acquire in the future, by purchase, gift, or inheritance.

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General information about Medicaid, including common misconceptions.

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Avoid making costly mistakes when applying for Medicaid by using this list when applying for nursing home benefits.

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