IN THE MEDIA

This Historic Hancock Park Home Was Once The Cat’s Meow 

“All the estate technically went to her cat to be taken care of,” Terry said. “After the cat passed, it would go to the Doris Day Animal Foundation. … I don’t think the cat lived here after her passing; it was cared for somewhere else.”

Estate planning attorney Sara Polinsky said it’s an arrangement that isn’t uncommon among pet owners.

“People sometimes have anxiety when it comes to children and pets who are helpless in some ways, and so to be able to provide for them gives them a tremendous sense of peace and comfort,” Polinsky said. >>Read complete article

How to Live Off Social Security “It’s a big help if you don’t have credit card debt,” says Sara Polinsky, an estate planning attorney and elder law expert. For people living on Social Security, Polinsky recommends not using credit cards that will amass interest and will eat away at the income needed to live.” >> Read complete article

How Nursing Homes Can Prevent You From Suing … Sara Polinsky, J.D., an expert in the fields of elder law and estate planning, says that binding arbitration clauses are generally included in nursing home contracts to help make the conflict resolution process faster and cheaper. But, in the case of nursing home disputes, the rapid and less-costly nature of arbitration usually favors corporations not caregivers. >> Read complete article

LONG TERM CARE COLA The VA Aid & Attendance and the Medi-Cal Long Term Care programs are two very important resources to assist seniors and their families to pay for the high costs of long term care. As an elder law attorney, I help my clients become eligible for these programs to offset their care expenses, whether they are receiving care at home, in an assisted living or board & care facility or in a skilled nursing facility (nursing home). For the last two years, the resource limits and benefit amounts under these programs have not been adjusted for cost of living increases. Now, for the first time since 2009, both programs, as well as Social Security, have announced that there will be a cost of living adjustment beginning January 2012. >> Read more

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leann-reynolds/home-for-the-holidays_1_b_1144201.html

… it’s not entirely up to the adult children: Elder law attorney Sara Polinsky advises her clients to plan a discussion with their kids when they visit for the holidays. “I think it’s a good time to have a discussion because it’s not a time of crisis,” she said. “Everyone is in a positive frame of mind, not dealing with an unplanned crisis.” And with a little planning, Ms. Polinsky said that it can be more than a discussion, but also a time for appointments at the bank or with an attorney. “A lot of my elderly clients say they want their kids to be a second pair of ears, to be involved,” she said. The advantage to this communication is to balance the future responsibilities. “The parents can share their wishes now,” she said. “They make it clear it’s not the kids who will be deciding.” >> Read complete article

http://www.caregiver.com/articles/general/adult_day_health_care_services.htm

Elimination of Adult Day Health Care Services and the Impact on Long-Term Care Planning By Sara Polinsky As an Elder Law Attorney, I often meet with families and caregivers to help them create a plan for the future care of a sick or elderly loved one. Since the desire is always to remain at home for as long as possible and to avoid or delay institutionalization, I often explore various services and benefits programs with my clients that will help them stay at home. Adult Day Health Care Centers have always been an integral part of this planning. >> Read complete article