The new “Legal and Care Planning for People with Multiple Sclerosis” video series is intended to help people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and their families understand the complex legal and planning issues that they face.
The video series was produced via a partnership between NAELA and Stetson University College of Law, in consultation with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
NAELA members can use these videos on their website or during presentations as a way to demonstrate the intricacies of care that NAELA members are uniquely qualified to address.
The video series can be viewed on the
NAELA website. Instructions on how to add the videos to your website are also available at this link.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, blindness, and paralysis. The cause of MS is still unknown and scientists believe the disease is triggered by as-yet-unidentified environmental factors. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease.
Titles include:
Diagnosed with MS
Presented by Craig C. Reaves, CELA, Fellow, CAP
• Planning for a person with MS and how to preserve their autonomy and independence
• Preserving quality of life
• Managing property
• Paying for care
• Why a NAELA elder law and special needs planning attorney and how to find one
Family Law and Divorce: When a Partner Has MS
Presented by Patricia E. Kefalas Dudek, Esq., CAP, Fellow
• Marital and employment status
• Psychological well-being of patients and relatives
• Patient ability to continue chosen recreational activities
• Ability to maintain usual social relationships and interactions
• Legal issues when a partner is diagnosed with MS and options to consider
• Will MS diagnosis affect child custody?
• Will MS diagnosis affect visitation rights?
• Will MS diagnosis affect child support?
• Will MS diagnosis affect alimony or maintenance?
• Special needs trusts
Legal and Care Planning for Younger People with MS
Presented by Robert Brogan, CELA, CAP
• Funding for long-term care (Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance)
• Social Security disability benefits
• Comparison of Special Needs Trusts if Medicaid eligibility is needed
Coordinating Attendant Care and Available Resources
Presented by Stephen Dale, Esq., LLM
• Different types of personal caregivers
• Medicaid eligibility and resources
• Using Medicaid-based attendant care services
Property and Health Care Decision-Making Agents: An Overview
Presented by Mary Alice Jackson, Esq., Fellow
• Individual planning process
• The who, what, when, how, and why of planning
• Expectation for incapacity
• Documents pertaining to health care
• Property management
• Power of attorney
• Trust
• Guardianship
This video series is designed for people with Multiple Sclerosis and their families and showcases how elder law and special needs planning attorneys can help. Members can use these videos on their websites and at presentations.