Comments:
One of 2 attorneys who worked for L.A. County Dept. of Public Social Services (D.P.S.S.), who has also served on the Bioethics Committee of a local hospital since 1986, Mrs. Peters is knowledgable about pre-need Long Term Care (LTC) Medi-Cal planning issues. Sometimes helpful are educational legal services about the situation and/or related areas of law. Misinformation that circulates when a patient faces an illness can often be cleared up in the course of the client's estate-planning process.
Pre-need planning best includes an Advance Directive for medical care and bioethics conversation, to create and document the desired care plan, with perceived 'triggers' for step-down care. "When is it time?" "For what?" Often family members and others present their issues and desired outcomes, and offer options.
Planning ahead is a process, with the attorney serving the Client's needs by meeting that duty of undivided loyalty as a counselor at law, AND as a "scribe", AND keeping a proper 'business record', of course! On occasion a 2d attorney may be needed to resolve such conflict of interest issues as may arise in the course of the process, when waiver and consent are not possible or realistic.
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