• 20
  • July
    2010

Florida estate planning attorneys can recommend all sorts of services for people who are planning for their retirement years and want to minimize their expenses and maximize their estates. This frequently involves decisions about where and how to live, i.e., whether to live at home with in-home assistance, move to a retirement community, move to assisted living, or move to a nursing home.

Every living arrangement has its advantages and disadvantages, and every decision must be made on a case-by-case basis. Living at home is the most appealing option for many people, as long as they can get competent and reliable in-home help with some daily needs.

The tasks involved in in-home assistance may not seem very complex, but if the in-home help is not competent and reliable, it can be a nightmare, as Hans and Martha Rau discovered.

The Raus were victims of fraud, exploitation, and theft. What happened was...

they hired a personal service business for help with daily needs such as bathing, dressing, and housekeeping. But over a 12-month period, tens of thousands of dollars worth of cash, jewelry, and valuables were stolen.

The workers were forbidden by law from dispensing medication, but they did so anyway, sometimes overmedicating Martha Rau.

One of the former workers for the home-care firm has pleaded guilty to felony charges of exploiting an adult and fraud (for fraudulent use of a credit card). Charges against a second worker are pending.

As the Raus' health declined, their son urged them to move closer to his home in Jacksonville. But, not wanting to move, they gave their son power of attorney to handle their financial affairs, and hired the in-home service to help them with day-to-day living.

The whole experience left Hans Rau wishing he had planned sooner for the couple's later years, and urging others to do so before they are too old to make good decisions.