September 2021
If you have a loved one in a nursing home, you may pay special attention to his or her care. If you worry about the treatment he or she receives, understanding the signs of neglect may help. One of the most common injuries neglected patients suffer from are bedsores. According to Mayo Clinic, bedsores are pressure ulcers and occur due to prolonged pressure on the skin. For example, if bedridden patients may experience pressure ulcers if the caregivers do not move them. What are the symptoms of bedsores? Bedsores may appear on the tailbone, backs of arms, legs, spine, and shoulder blades. For those who stay in bed, you may find them on the back or sides of the patient’s head, the hip or the heels and ankles. Bedsores look like an unusual change in skin color and texture. They also present with swelling, draining and may feel warm or cool to the touch. Bedsores have levels of severity. Some bedsores may be unbroken skin, but other bedsores involve muscle and bone. What are the complications of bedsores? Bedsores can become extremely painful and life-threatening. One of the most dangerous complications is cellulitis. Cellulitis is a skin infection that can worsen quickly. It may cause redness, warmth and swelling in the affected area. If your loved one has nerve damage, he or she may not feel the infection. Other forms of infection can affect the joints and bones and damage the tissue and cartilage. An infection can severely limit your loved one’s ability to move joints and limbs. Non-healing wounds can also lead to a type of squamous cell carcinoma or cancer. Nursing homes should have staff capable of preventing bedsores.
Reviewing your estate plan serves as part of the maintenance of your estate as a whole. It is something you will need to do somewhat regularly, as the relevance of your plan depends on how up-to-date it is. This means you should also know what your goals are when it comes to reviewing your estate plan, along with how you will achieve them. Break it down to the basics Forbes takes a look at how you can potentially organize an estate plan review . They start by pointing out ways that you can begin to prioritize parts of the plan to tackle first. After all, an estate plan can be large task, and depending on your circumstances, reviewing the entire thing could end up a painstaking process that could span months even with the best of help. Instead of going through everything with a fine-toothed comb, break down your plan into the basics and tackle whatever you think is the most likely to have undergone changes over the years. For most people, this will often include your beneficiaries and assets. Focus on beneficiaries and assets Beneficiaries involve anyone who has something to gain from your estate after your death. Beneficiaries written on your will serve as one group, but this also includes anyone on your insurance policies or other beneficiary designation accounts and people you have included in any trust you might create. Assets can fluctuate negatively or positively, but if you come across a particularly big change, you will likely want to document it. After all, you cannot give away something you no longer have, and you do not want unclaimed assets sitting in your estate. Equally important, this may impact the overall proportions of assets you intended to distribute in your original planning. You can enlist legal help if you want to work on prioritizing your review. After all, experts suggest you do a review every three years, which means you will likely do quite a few of them.
Many young people in Washington delay making estate plans. Sometimes, they do so because they fear it takes too much time or because they question whether they have enough to warrant one. If you count yourself among those who have yet to make an estate plan, know that you do not necessarily have to spend considerable time and money on yours to make it effective. Instead, Bankrate notes that a simple, straightforward estate plan may still help ensure that your wishes come to fruition and that your loved ones avoid probate court or minimize associated expenses. A simple, yet strong estate plan may contain the following three documents. A will Your will gives you an avenue through which to leave certain assets to chosen beneficiaries. Even if you include no other components in your estate plan, try to include a will so that you do not die “intestate,” meaning you leave matters up to the courts. A financial power of attorney A financial power of attorney helps ensure that you do not leave any loose ends when it comes to your finances. Giving someone power of attorney gives them a way to access your accounts, pay your debts and otherwise tend to your financial needs. An advance medical directive An advance medical directive, such as a health care power of attorney or living will, provides information about what you want to happen to you if you suffer incapacitation and are unable to make your wishes known with regard to medical care. The earlier you start working on your estate plan, the more time you may have to revisit it, update it and make sure it continues to serve your needs for years to come.
