As our authors acknowledge in this month’s Elder Care Committee Report, an increasing number of our clients are in need of elder care services. In fact, as stated in “Confronting Undue Influence in Your Practice?” p. 33, by Sharon L. Klein, Sandra D. Glazier, Thomas M. Dixon and Thomas F. Sweeney, by 2030, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be over 65. Their article focuses on how estate planners need to understand and identify the indicia of undue influence on clients. As clients head into their elder years, attorneys must become more aware of this issue, as well as other concerns our clients now face, from qualifying for Medicare coverage (see “Advising Clients on Medicare,” p. 24, by Christopher W. Smith), to having a power of attorney (POA) that enhances an agent’s ability to function and prevent abuse of the POA (see “Powers of Attorney for Our Aging Client Base,” p. 28, by Martin M. Shenkman and Jonathan G. Blattmachr), to making sure a client’s care manager is ready, willing and able to tackle the assignment (see “Absence of Integrity,” p. 38, by Patricia A. Maisano). And, as you find yourself in need of helping clients with issues other than drafting traditional documents, such as getting Social Security benefits and dealing with physical decline, “Planning for Later Life,” p. 21, by Lawrence A. Frolik and Bernard A. Krooks, will help you out.
You may also notice a new face in this month’s issue, in the “On the Cover” section, p. 3. That’s Anna Sulkin, our new associate legal editor. Anna got her Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School in New York City in May 2012. She’s also a formerly ranked national gymnast, so she should be able to easily jump into her new role. We welcome Anna to our Trusts & Estates team. David H. Lenok, our former associate legal editor, has been promoted to senior editor for wealthmanagement.com. We wish him luck in his new position.
We also have a new editorial advisory board member on our High-Net-Worth Families & Family Offices committee—Mindy Rosenthal, president of Institute of Private Investors in New York City.
