Health Care Decisions

Medicare has made discussions with health care providers about end-of-life options a covered benefit.   ...

Although depression was initially given as the cause of actor Robin Williams’ suicide in 2014, his widow says autopsy results lay the blame on Lewy body dementia, a fairly common but hard-to-diagnose form of dementia. ...

The traditional way to communicate one’s wishes is through an advance directive, and a growing number of Americans have these documents.  But while advance directives are a good start, by themselves they may not guarantee that your wishes will be...

Five states have enacted laws giving terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs, and 25 other states are considering similar legislation.  But it’s unclear whether these so-called “right-to-try” laws will help anyone other than state legislators embracing a politically popular...

Is your family of the “Leave It to Beaver” variety -- opposite-gender parents, the first marriage for each, one or more kids, all healthy and thriving? If so, your estate plan will probably be pretty straightforward. But if not, it's...

In an emergency, it can be difficult for family members or paramedics to get quick access to your medical information.

The popular New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast has created a graphic memoir of coping with her parents' final years, titled "Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?" In recent interviews, Chast has had nothing but praise for the elder law...

In a case being closely watched by baby boomers throughout the country caring for aging parents, a Pennsylvania nurse has been charged with helping her 93-year-old father commit suicide.

Any complete estate plan should include a medical directive, which can encompass a number of different documents. ...

Elderlaw 101