Originally sent to our newsletter subscribers in August 2026.
Every month I sit down to write these articles based on the questions families actually bring into my office. These are real questions, usually asked by an adult child who is worried about a parent and does not know where to start.
July was heavy on one theme: families who thought they had run out of options, but discovered there was more available than they thought.
If you missed any of last month’s articles, here they are.
In Case You Missed It: July Articles
How Much Does an Estate Plan Cost in Decatur, Georgia?
Straight talk on pricing. What drives cost up, what does not, and why the cheapest plan is so rarely the right one. If you have been quoted wildly different numbers by different firms, this explains why.
Georgia Medicaid Long-Term Care Eligibility: Income Limits, Asset Limits, and What Actually Counts
The numbers families most often get wrong. What counts as a countable asset, what does not, and what a married couple is actually allowed to keep when one spouse needs care. These figures change every year, so this one is worth bookmarking.
Medicare’s Rehab Days Are Ending and Mom Still Needs Care: What Happens Next in Georgia
One of the hardest phone calls I take. Medicare rehab coverage is winding down, the family was told to plan for discharge, and nobody explained what comes next. Here is what your options actually look like, including the appeal most families never knew they could file.
The Special Needs Trust Trap Most Georgia Families Miss
A well-meaning inheritance can cost a loved one the benefits they depend on. This is one of the most preventable mistakes I see, and it usually happens because someone was trying to be generous.
Can Someone With Dementia Still Sign Estate Planning Documents in Georgia?
The question I get asked most often, usually late at night by someone who is afraid the window has closed. A dementia diagnosis does not automatically take away the legal right to sign. What matters is capacity at the moment of signing, and that is a very different standard than most families assume.
What to take from all of this
The biggest thing to realize is that most families wait far longer than they need to, because they assume the door has already closed. Usually it has not. But the options do narrow over time, and they narrow fastest in exactly the moments when families feel most frozen.
If any of these articles described your family, that is worth a conversation.
Coming up in August
- Before You Sign a Georgia Nursing Home Admission Agreement. What is buried in that paperwork, and what you should never agree to.
- VA Aid and Attendance for Georgia Veterans and Surviving Spouses. A benefit a lot of eligible families never claim, often because nobody told them it existed.
I am also at an event this month
On August 26 our team spent the day at the inaugural Aging Better Expo, hosted by Atlanta News First at the Ivy Community Center and presented by Kaiser Permanente and Sage Navigator. We were a proud sponsor, and the whole firm was there.
The topic I brought with me was the one families ask about most: the five legal documents every Georgia family should review before a care crisis. If you were one of the people who stopped by our table, thank you. Those conversations are the reason we do this.
If you want to talk
You do not have to figure out which of these applies to you on your own. If something here hit close to home, schedule a complimentary 15-minute Strategy Session with one of my non-attorney team members. They will listen, ask a few questions, and help you understand whether this is something we can help with.
Schedule your 15-minute Strategy Session
Or call us at 404-549-5001.
Warmly,
Shannon M. Pawley, J.D., LL.M.
The Estate & Asset Protection Law Firm
Decatur, Georgia
elderlawgeorgia.com | 404-549-5001
