MOUNTAIN AREA — If your loved one is in a hospital, nursing home or assisted living facility and management is limiting visitors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, this is what you need to do:
- Does your loved one have an Advance Health Care Directive? If so find it, see who they named as their agent (the person who can make decisions for them), that person needs to fax the document to the facility and assert their right to discuss the private health information with the staff.
- Make frequent calls to your loved one if they can talk. If they can’t talk call the staff, but remember they are busy and probably don’t have as much staff as they need, so be extra patient and nice.
- If your loved one does not have a health care directive I have a link here to one for you, you need two witnesses or a notary.
- If your loved one is in a skilled nursing facility you MUST call the ombudsman. For Fresno and Madera County, the number is 559-224-9177 or Statewide 1-800-231-4024
I am meeting clients by phone or Zoom during this time or making house calls. Please call me if you are having trouble seeing your loved one — or want to make sure that you have everything in place if you get sick.
About the Author Martha Patterson
Martha Patterson is a California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, and Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. She focuses on Elder Law, Asset Protection and Estate Planning. She is a Member of NAELA; Past President of Southern California NAELA. Featured on CNN, Good Morning America, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and radio stations KABC, KNX, and KKLA. She overcame incredible objections and enabled Kerri and Julie Kasem to visit their dad radio host Casey Kasem. She is a frequent lecturer for NBI, and is a at MCLE events, and public forums.
To contact Martha Patterson call: (559) 473-1233
