Planning Ahead with Dementia: Legal, Financial, and Long-Term Care Decisions

Plan ahead for dementia care with expert guidance. Learn about legal decisions, financial planning, and long-term care options.

Planning Is Protection

Planning ahead is one of the most important steps families can take.

Waiting too long limits options—and increases stress.

Key Legal and Medical Decisions

Early planning should include:

  • Healthcare Power of Attorney
  • Financial Power of Attorney
  • Advance directives
  • Care preferences

These decisions ensure your loved one’s wishes are honored.

Understanding Financial Realities

Programs like:

  • Medicare
  • Medicaid

have limitations—especially for long-term care.

Many families are unprepared for these gaps.

Exploring Long-Term Care Options

As needs progress, options include:

  • In-home care
  • Assisted living
  • Memory care
  • Skilled nursing facilities

Each has different levels of care and cost considerations.

How Advocacy Helps You Plan

We support families by:
✔️ Explaining care options clearly
✔️ Navigating financial and insurance considerations
✔️ Coordinating transitions
✔️ Avoiding costly mistakes

Planning Is a Gift to Your Family

A plan provides clarity, reduces stress, and allows families to focus on what matters most.

Start planning before a crisis happens.

📩 Contact us to move forward with confidence.

LORI IS EXTREMELY TALENTED!

What a great use of Lori’s talents!

I worked with Lori for several years during my career as an orthopedic surgeon. I know her to be not only compassionate and understanding but also a tireless advocate for what is right.

In difficult situations she was unwavering in her quest to enable me to provide the best possible care for my patients. She knows the system and how to work through it (and around it whenever necessary

LORI JUMPED RIGHT IN

If you are in need of a patient advocate, I would highly recommend Lori Schellenberg. She is extremely knowledgeable, effective, and professional. Knows when to be strong and forceful yet loving and caring with your loved one and your family. I was concerned about an elderly family member who had several severe falls, was forgetting to take medication, not eating healthy and not keeping up with housekeeping yet insistent she was fine and staying in her home. Even though Lori lived out of state she made phone calls on our behalf, made several recommendations to help us provide what our loved one needed and was an intermediary when it was necessary. Lori’s knowledge of geriatrics, continuous care/assisted living facilities, the health care system, long term care insurance and hospice is invaluable. She helped us put together a plan that provided the best and continuous care necessary for our loved one and our family. We are extremely thankful for her help and look forward to continuing to work with her as our loved one moves through the next phases of her life’s journey, thus enabling us to create loving memories.

LORI JUMPED RIGHT IN

My husband underwent nasal surgery 6 months ago, after he had a negative sleep study test and was referred to an ENT doctor due to continued fatigue and snoring.

Unfortunately, he developed two different serious infections, and we were concerned about his ongoing treatment with the ENT. In fact, we were very anxious because he wasn’t getting better but the surgeon was not clear with us as to what to do next.

When describing what was going on, Lori jumped right in, when she found out my husband was actually at the surgeon’s office at that time, and still did not understand the situation. She recommended that my husband ask to have the surgeon come back into the room, and to call her so that she could speak to the surgeon with my husband in the room. Lori was very professional and knowledgeable in her approach with his surgeon. She established a treatment plan, in a way that my husband could understand, and why this was the plan. She also discussed the “what ifs” the current treatment plan did not work. He ordered further tests to be completed prior to his next appointment, if he did not improve.

She followed up with my husband and I to make sure we understood the plan.

By advocating for my husband, Lori relieved a lot of anxiety and stress that this current medical concern was causing, and they felt more confident in the surgeon’s care.

We highly recommend Lori and Stepping Stone Advocacy Services, if you are experiencing a medical condition, and don’t know where to turn for answers. She is experienced and professional, yet able to discuss medical terms in a way that we understood.