Keystone Blog
Is Independence Limiting Your Freedom?
Last Saturday we celebrated Independence Day, commemorating the American colonies declaration of political separation from Great Britain. The establishment of a system of government which recognized individual freedoms in areas such as religion, speech, and bearing...
COVID Tracing Challenges
How far may individual expectations of confidentiality be compromised to enable public health authorities to track those who have been exposed to COVID-19? And, once health authorities have identified exposed individuals, how will those individuals be...
Elder Financial Abuse: A Betrayal of Trust
No one who uses credit cards, has a Social Security number, or shares information on social media is entirely immune from scammers or identity thieves. Older people, however, have the biggest target on their backs for financial abuse. People over the age of 50...
Welcome Back to Stable Advocacy
Welcome back! COVID was your ticket out. Welcome back! To boundaries you never dreamt about. Though the label changed from red before, life’s still risky as green’s in store. Who’d thought we’d wear masks, for daily public tasks? If...
Transition – Losing a Home and Finding Hope Again
“I feel like a teenager sneaking out of the house,” Joan stated with a chuckle. Joan is a 93 year old client whom I had called to see how she was faring during COVID restrictions. She resides in an independent living apartment in a local retirement...
An Alzheimer’s Experience in Reverse
Louise celebrated her 62nd birthday last month on Mother’s Day. Despite COVID restrictions, Louise and her 84 year old mother, Kathy, were able to spend this extra special day together since they share a home. Although Louise initially moved in with Kathy...
Executor of an Estate? Now What?
The death of a loved one comes with grief that is compounded by the stress of end-stage medical decisions and planning a funeral. What follows – the administration of the estate by the executor – requires patient attention to details regarding money, real estate,...
National Healthcare Decisions Day
Are you one of the 92% of Americans who believe that discussions regarding end of life issues are important? This statistic is from a 2018 study by The Conversation Project, an organization formed in 2010 to help transform American culture in relation to the...
Hope Amidst COVID 19
During last Monday evening’s daily COVID 19 briefing, Vice President Mike Pence said that “this will be a week of heartache and hope.” By the grace of God, we all hope this proclamation is true on more than one level. Isn’t it profoundly surreal that COVID 19 is...
Older Americans Act Reauthorized
The reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) was quietly signed into law by President Trump last week. Officially known as H.R. 4334 – The Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020, it moved fairly quickly through Congress before reaching the President’s...