Adamsky Law Offices Blog

A new study suggests that caregiving, especially for difficult patients such as those with Alzheimer’s Disease, can shorten caregivers’ lives by four to eight years. This stress shows up at the genetic and molecular level in the bodies of the caregivers. The study out of Ohio State University looked at numerous people in different life situations, looking for the indications of stress. One of the most stressed-out groups was caregivers. Other studies have found that caregivers are less healthy compared to non-caregivers. This broad study is not the final word on this subject, but as any caregiver knows, it is a stressful situation. The common conditions suffered by caregivers are: Higher hospitalization rates Higher death rates Higher incidence of headaches and insomnia Increased risk of heart disease Depression Anxiety disorders Higher incidence of suicide AARP has several articles and tips on its website for dealing with caregiver stress. Here are some of them:

During a "Seniors Summit" held on Sept. 10, 2007 at the Securities and Exchange Commission, regulators released a report summarizing the results of their examinations of "free lunch" investment seminars. They looked at 110 securities firms and branch offices that sponsor sales seminars and offer a free lunch to entice attendees. The report concludes that 100% of the "seminars" were sales presentations, although most were advertised as "educational," "workshops," and "nothing will be sold." Almost a quarter of the time they found indications that unsuitable investment recommendations were made. And 13% appeared to be fraudulent and were referred to authorities for possible enforcement or disciplinary action. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox said, "These findings are a wake-up call for securities regulators, the financial services industry and especially older investors. Not only were virtually all of the 'free lunch'

With the estate tax set to expire in 2010, a bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would increase the estate tax exemption to $5 million, (phased in with a $250,000 increase each year from 2009, when the exemption will already be $3.5 million, to 2015). The exemption would then be indexed to increase at the rate of inflation. The bill, introduced by Reps. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) and Christopher Shays (R-CT), would also create two tax rates: 15 percent for estates worth $25 million and less and 30 percent for estates worth more than $25 million. Under current law, the top tax rate will be 45 percent in 2009. Earlier in the year, the U.S. Senate voted 51-41 to reaffirm its support for a budget resolution that establishes the current-law 2009 estate tax rules through 2012. To read a copy of the bill, H.R. 3170 go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:h.r.3170:

Good news about Alzheimer’s Disease comes out almost every day. This is because the Alzheimer’s Association and others are contributing to new and better research. You can help in the fight against Alzheimer’s too. Adamsky Law Offices has put together a team for Memory Walk 2007. The walk will take place on September 30, 8:30 AM, at Boarding House Park in Lowell. Memory Walk is the major fund-raising event of the Alzheimer's Association. It’s a fun stroll through historic downtown Lowell. You can raise funds and not even walk if you like, just join in the party at Boarding House Park. Since 1993, Memory Walk in Massachusetts has raised more than $6 million to help over 140,000 individuals battling Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. More than $1.3 million alone was raised last year. Our team is looking for more members to walk with us (and/or raise funds) and we are looking for donations. You can help us out in several ways. Mail your donation check to our office (269 Mi