By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
What you need to watch now is a financial manager of your money who is making his business by selling certain annuities and financial stocks and bonds dependent wholly on how much of a percentage he gets in profit for his business.
And good Trust and Estate Attorney in your area (ask around for recommendations, including on your local Nextdoor) can guide you to a licensed Fiduciary who can manage your money as POA when you are unable to (for payment). They work through the courts and are assigned all the time for those without family or for family perpetrating fraud.
One more hint. You can make an appointment with your banker, as they will often adminstrate for Trusts as well.
If you read this site I must tell you that you are not in as much danger from any licensed attorney, who would lose his license for wrong doing, as you would be from greedy relatives, and THAT'S for certain.
Getting yourself into a place where you don't trust CPAs or Attorneys or other licensed people is sinking into a kind of paranoia for which there cannot be answers. Not to be trusting, to have lost all trust isn't something we can restore for you with a trip to Lourdes. You will have to trust but verify, as Mr. Reagan said.
As you our helping you? I live in San Francisco and know more than a FEW excellent Trust and Estate Attorneys. That doesn't help you. Nor can Margaret recommend someone in Australia for you. We are caregivers and regular "folks" from all over the world with our OWN questions, and we can only wish you the very best.
Interesting idea to have a banker administer my trust, but so far (at 96+) I've been administering myself all my assets and putting them into my trust. But good you brought it up as I may need someone to do it if I become incapacitated and I'll also find out if I still need a POA.
"You will have to trust but verify, as Mr. Reagan said."
I like this quote and will keep it where I see it often. :) However, I did have a few unpleasant experiences with different professionals. One is my present lawyer, but it was my fault for not vetting them sufficiently.
I admire your caregiving profession. You have to be an unselfish soul to do it. So I wish you the best and happiest life.
Also, I'm so grateful to you and all the others who answered my post with intelligent suggestions and advice. I'm ready to follow them all and wish you all the very best. :)
Or, you may have a disabling stroke that disables you, affects your ability to communicate and causes you to require 24/7 care.
You need a PoA or guardian now, before it becomes too late for you to assign one. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
FYI you fit into a category called "Elder Orphan". This term will be useful for you when doing internet searches.
P.S. Is a POA the same as Health Proxy?
See a good Trust and Estate attorney in your area. There are many ways to get a good recommend, often from your bank or from your NextDoor neighbors sites.
I suggest finding an attorney in the vicinity of a large group of senior citizens and asking members of that group if they know anything good/bad about those who seem promising. Even a monthly magazine for such a group could provide some leads because lawyers will be advertising there.
I wish you luck in your planning.
I learned that from my elder parents. They wanted me to find the attorney (he did real estate settlements) they had used many moons ago to draw up a new set of legal documents as theirs were older than dirt, so chances were slim that he was still in practice, plus he was an one man shop. He had retired. Thankfully I was able to have my parents use our Elder Law Attorney. I was surprised that my Mom had liked her, as my Mom was old school saying women shouldn't be doctors or lawyers as men were much smarter.... (rolling eyes).
I praise caregiving and am grateful to you, caregivers for being VERY SPECIAL SOULS. May God Bless You All. :)
Sincerely,
Adela