Insights & Guidance for Planning Ahead

The month of May has been designated as National Elder Law Month by the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). Formed in 1987, NAELA is dedicated to improving the quality of legal services provided to people as they age and for people with special needs. Its membership is comprised of elder law attorneys. What makes elder law attorneys different? What is the difference in elder law and estate planning? Maybe the first question is to ask what is a senior? I sup

When my kids were young, they fell in love with soccer. I was “forced” into coaching, when one of their coaches, an employee of Midwest Energy, was called out of town for an extended period of time because of damaged powerlines related to a tornado. A new coach was needed. Soccer was a new sport in western Kansas, at least at the competitive level. In Hays, it was comprised of only one or two teams. To play other teams meant participating in tournaments, which required d

About 16 years ago, my wife and I inherited a Labrador Retriever named Star. Star actually belonged to a friend of my oldest son. The friend ran into some troubles, and we ended up inheriting Star. Star was just a pup. However, at a very young age she ended up running down the street and mating with another Lab. My wife was so frustrated. We had no business raising Labs. Star gave birth to seven Labradors, all blonde. They could not have been cuter. Initially, we kep

My wife (Barbara) comes from a good Mennonite background, inheriting by blood or tradition many of the attributes of those raised in the simple lifestyle of Mennonites. In addition to frugality, those attributed include cooking and preserving whatever nature gives you at the moment. We moved to Hays, Kansas in 1983. I was a young lawyer, trying to find my footing (and clients) in a new town. A year after our move, we started having children, pulling my wife from the workforc

I am writing this article on vacation. I am staying in a cabin in Colorado for two weeks. When scheduling my vacation, one question that came up was whether we wanted to hook up some type of television service. If for no other reason, the Kansas City Royals are hot at the moment and would be fun to watch. I chose to stay disconnected. Let me explain, and let me try to do so without sounding like an old curmudgeon. Recently I was walking along the draw in my neighborhood. Acr

I met with a family in another town. They had called my office and needed to see me. They were obviously in great distress. We met in one of our satellite offices. Dad had dementia. Mom had been trying to keep him home. The children finally intervened, letting Mom know that she could not continue, that she herself was at risk. It is a common scenario. In our discussions with the children and Mom, I asked them about Dad. They said, “We’ve already told you about his he