Am I Liable for My Spouse's Nursing Home Bill?
If my husband is in a nursing home and he depletes all his assets, will I be responsible for his nursing care costs, even if...
Read moreA California jury has found that a doctor has no responsibility for a fatal car crash caused by an 85-year-old patient whom he had diagnosed with dementia but not reported to authorities.
Lorraine Sullivan was driving with her longtime partner William Powers, 90, when she suddenly turned left and into the path of an oncoming car. Sullivan survived but Powers died of his injuries. As reported in the Los Angeles Times, Powers’ family sued Sullivan’s doctor, Arthur Daigneault, for wrongful death, arguing that he should have taken steps to have Sullivan’s license revoked.
Local Elder Law Attorneys in Ashburn, VA
Ron M. Landsman has been practicing elder law since 1983, before it was known as elder law, originally with Landsman and Laster, Washington, D.C., then Landsman, Eakes and Laster, also in Arlington, VA, and since 1990 in his own practice in Montgomery County, Maryland. He has been among the most active members of the...
Jean Galloway Ball is certified in Elder Law by the National Elder Law Foundation. She is a 1977 honors graduate of the National Law Center, George Washington University, and she did her undergraduate work at the University of California at Berkeley, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1971. She is admitted to practice in Vir...
Judith Mtinick is well known for acting as a guardian, conservator, trustee or agent on behalf of clients or by court appointment. This experience gives her a wide perspective and extensive practical knowledge that she uses when advising clients in drafting their planning documents. Her experience, as a court appointed...
Doctors are generally not required to report patients they believe are unsafe, but California is one of a handful of states that has such a rule. California requires doctors to report to local health officials patients with "disorders characterized by lapses of consciousness," including dementia. However, doctors may use their own clinical judgment about whether a patient is a danger on the road.
In 2007, Sullivan complained of memory loss to Dr. Daigneault. After tests showed a slight decline in cognitive functioning over the following year, Dr. Daigneault prescribed an Alzheimer’s drug, and then switched her to a different drug when she said her memory loss was worsening. Sullivan’s daughter testified that her mother, whom she saw weekly, successfully hid her dementia diagnosis from her.
After deliberating for half an hour, an Orange County jury found that Dr. Daigneault did not violate standards of care or state law by not reporting Sullivan to authorities.
The Los Angeles Times notes that “the case casts a spotlight on a problem that will grow more common as the population ages and doctors see more dementia and other conditions related to old age, such as slowed reflexes, lack of alertness and diseases that can trigger lapses of consciousness.” Drivers 80 and older are involved in 5.5 times as many fatal crashes per mile driven as middle-aged drivers, according to Consumer Reports. Fifty-seven million drivers older than 65 are expected to be driving U.S. roads by 2030, nearly double the 2007 figure.
The potential risks of elderly drivers gained nationwide attention when a an 86-year-old man drove his car into a farmers market in Santa Monica, California, in July 2003, killing 10 people and injuring 63. Three years later the driver, George Weller, was found guilty of 10 counts of vehicular manslaughter but was sentenced to five years' felony probation due to his advanced age. Weller died in 2010.
For an article on confronting an unsafe driver, click here.
For a list of state licensing renewal provisions for older drivers, click here.
If my husband is in a nursing home and he depletes all his assets, will I be responsible for his nursing care costs, even if...
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