2001 Articles

Background on Patients’ Bill of Rights October 2001 This past summer one of the biggest issues in the U.S. Congress was the passage of a Patients' Bill of Rights.

Bridging the generation gap By Marjan Peter Staniec February 2001 It is the intent of the author to create greater awareness among advocates for frail and reclusive seniors of an existing program that can provide therapeutic benefits, emotionally and physically--a daycare program that bridges the generation gap by its collective program that addresses the needs of the elderly and youngsters.

Calling all government attorneys May 2001 The ISBA's Standing Committee on Government Lawyers wants to include you in its constituency. Historically, neither the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission nor the Illinois State Bar Association has maintained data with respect to those attorneys engaged in government practice.

The Chicago Department on Aging: A formidable resource for senior citizens By Rhoda Davis Sweeney May 2001 The Chicago Department on Aging, under the direction of Mayor Richard M. Daley and Commissioner Anna Wills, offers Chicago's senior residents many services and opportunities of which lawyers serving Chicago residents sixty or older should be aware.

Community Medicaid cases and spousal impoverishment update By Steven C. Perlis October 2001 Frequently, a married couple struggles with the question of when to apply for Medicaid. Is it too soon if the disabled person is still at home, but suffering from a decline in the ability to handle activities of daily living?

“Congratulations, you have just won the Australian lottery”: hot scams and cons on older persons By Edward J. Mitchell June 2001 Unfortunately today it is not unusual for one of our clients to receive a phone call with an opening line something like the title of this article.

Congressional restrictions on legal services voided By Lee Beneze May 2001 In the United States Supreme Court case of Legal Services Corporation v. Velazquez, et al. (No. 99-603, decided February 28, 2001), the Court held that certain Congressional restrictions placed on legal aid services violated the First Amendment.

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Seniors and Persons With Disabilities Division By Lori G. Levin October 2001 In January 1999, Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine formed the Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Division to help protect elderly and disabled citizens of Cook County.

Early retirement for self employed and small business owners May 2001 Beginning January 1, 2000, a person, upon attaining the age 65, may work as much as they desire, and/or are capable of working, without reducing their Social Security Benefits.

Easing on to the superhighway: computers and the Internet for technologically challenged lawyers By Karl Menninger May 2001 While this newsletter (and others) have been referring to "the information superhighway," "Web sites," "e-mail" and "computer-based legal research," it has been pointed out that not all lawyers are familiar with computers and that this newsletters could have a useful article on the basics of computers and the Internet.

Elder law Law Ed Series program February 2001 The Elder Law section will be presenting a Law Ed Seriesseries program on grandparents' issues.

Elder law update By Steven C. Perlis February 2001 For calendar year 2001, the community spouse resource allowance ("csra") is $87,000.

Elder law update: Task Force on the Unauthorized Practice of Law By Naomi H. Schuster May 2001 The Task Force on Unauthorized Practice of Law has been meeting on a regular basis since its establishment in the summer of 2000.

Grandparents raising grandchildren update By Naomi H. Schuster October 2001 Earlier this year the Elder Law Section Council presented a program entitled "Introduction to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren."

Illinois Department on Aging to hold Annual Elder Rights Conference June 2001 The Illinois Department on Aging has scheduled its 15th Annual Elder Rights Conference for July 25-26 at the Holiday Inn-City Centre, in Chicago.

Illinois Supreme Court holds grandparent visitation law unconstitutional as applied to parents who object By Karl Menninger February 2001 Grandparent visitation laws, passed in response to pressure from senior citizens with the implication that visits with grandparents are always (or usually) good for the child, have been the subject of constitutional challenges in several states.

Increased protection needed for institutionalized elderly By Marjan Peter Staniec October 2001 I hope this summary report serves to motivate bar association members, advocacy groups and legislative leaders to initiate remedial action that may help curb much of the suffering, pain, indignity and other serious abuses inflicted on thousands of elderly residents in substandard nursing homes in Illinois and other states throughout the nation.

Keeping things simple By Michael H. Erde June 2001 I just read an article in a business publication quoting a person who thought that Fannie Mae was a funny name for a mortgage company.

List of top investment scams released By Lee Beneze June 2001 The top ten list of investment scams as compiled by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) was recently released by that organization.

National Conference on Law and Aging scheduled for October By Lee Beneze June 2001 The second annual National Conference on Law and Aging is scheduled for October 10-13, to be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.

New legislation on crimes against older persons October 2001 In the most recent session, there were two laws passed that concerned crimes against older persons.

Notes from the chair By William L. Cleaver October 2001 As I write this article, I have just finished reading the last article written by my predecessor, Lee Beneze.

Notes from the chair By Lee Beneze June 2001 These are my final "Notes from the chair." For me, it has been quite an interesting year.

Notes from the chair May 2001 The first pieces of data from the 2000 Census are now being released, and they graphically demonstrate the long range changes happening to our country, The America of 2050 will look quite different from the America of 2001 and will look almost nothing like the America of 1950.

Notes from the chair By Lee Beneze February 2001 After pondering awhile on what to write for this column, I eventually decided to address two current issues.

Practice note: transfers of assets, penalty periods and home care services By Lee Beneze & Mary Mayes February 2001 The Illinois Department on Aging provides a variety of services to older Illinoisans under the Community Care Program (CCP).

Profile of the Elder Law Section By Lee Beneze October 2001 The Elder Law Section of the Illinois State Bar Association was created as a separate section on May 17, 1995.

Protecting seniors from home repair fraud By Mardyth E. Pollard June 2001 Home repair fraud has consistently been one of the top consumer complaints received by the Illinois Attorney General's Office--last year the office received more than 2,500 complaints.

Report on the annual meeting of the American Bar Association By Stanley B. Balbach October 2001 The Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association was held in Chicago, August 2-7, and offered a variety of interesting an informative programs appealing to all branches of the profession.

Second gear on the information superhighway: slightly advanced Internet navigation By Karl Menninger June 2001 In the last newsletter, there was an introductory article on computers and the Internet (Easing on the to Information Superhighway: Internet Basics, Elder Law, Vol. 5, No. 3).