A

s parents and spouses age, the pos-
sibility of running into a situation 
where you either become a care-
giver yourself or need to find a caregiver is 
something many people may encounter.
A caregiver is a family member or paid 
helper who helps take care of a sick, elderly 
or disabled individual. While caregiving 

may feel like a scary or uncertain experi-
ence, many resources are available in the 
local Jewish community that can help make 
the transition a bit easier.

CAREGIVER RESOURCES
One of the first places people can turn 
for caregiving assistance is Jewish Family 

Service of Metropolitan Detroit. “We have 
a whole host of services that might be help-
ful to people who are new to caregiving,
” 
explains Lynn Breuer, JFS director of com-
munity outreach and wellness. 
The agency provides geriatric case man-
agement services to older adults who are 
struggling to meet basic needs, as well 
as more intensive fee-based 
geriatric care management 
services through its ElderCare 
Solutions of Michigan division. 
This intensive program sup-
ports older adults and helps 
their families plan for caregiv-
ing while offering guidance, 
advocacy and emotional support.
“Sometimes a caregiver just might need 
one or two meetings with a geriatric social 
worker,
” Breuer explains of one possible sce-
nario where help may be provided. This can 
be an individual whose father was recently 
diagnosed with dementia, or an individual 
whose loved one became disabled after 
experiencing a stroke.
“We would walk people through some of 
the steps to take care of the elderly,
” Breuer 

44 | APRIL 29 • 2021 

The Jewish community of
 ers support 
to those caring for the sick or infi
 rm.

The Jewish community of
 ers support 

Caregivers:
Here’s Help

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

While health management is undoubtedly 
one of the biggest elements of caregiv-
ing, caregivers should con-
sider legal steps to protect 
their rights and the rights of 
cared-for loved ones. Here’s 
what Mount Clemens-based 
elder law attorney and wealth 
preservation specialist Patrick 
Simasko of Simasko Law, 
simaskolaw.com, recommends doing 
to ensure legal safety in the caregiving 
process:
1. Sign a medical power of attorney.
“You absolutely need to have your loved 
one sign a medical power of attorney,” 
Simasko says. A medical power of attor-
ney allows you to make medical deci-
sions if your loved one is unable to. It’s 
important to have this document made 
before a person gets sick. Because of 
COVID-19 restrictions in hospitals, he 
explains, families and lawyers will not be 
able to enter a hospital all together, which 
makes it harder to try and get these doc-
uments signed and notarized should your 
loved ones fall sick with anything.

2. Sign a financial power of attorney.
“Another essential document for your 
loved one to sign is a financial power of 
attorney,” he says. A financial power of 
attorney grants you the power to make 
money decisions on behalf of your loved 
one. When creating a financial power of 
attorney and medical power of attorney, 
make sure to list more than one person 
in these documents, Simasko suggests. 
That way, if the person listed first is 
unable to perform their duties for any 
reason, there is another person in line to 
take over.
3. Create an estate plan.
“The next thing you need to do is cre-
ate an estate plan, which will include 
the medical power of attorney, financial 
power of attorney and revocable trust, if 
you want to avoid probate,” he continues. 
At the same time, double-check all the 
ownership and beneficiary designations 
on your loved one’s various financial 
accounts to make sure they’re going to 
the right people.
4. Understand FMLA rights.
“It’s important for caregivers to under-

stand their FMLA rights if they need to 
care for a family member,” Simasko says. 
“Make sure to look into the Family and 
Medical Leave Act so you can get extra 
time off to help care for your loved one.” 
With many people working from home, 
he says it’s now easier for caregivers to 
attend to family needs.
5. Monitor for signs of elder abuse.
“If you need to place your loved one into 
a facility or have caregivers come into the 
home, make sure you monitor the situa-
tion closely — regardless if the caregiver 
is a professional, neighbor or relative,” 
Simasko cautions. “These caregivers 
have access to vulnerable individuals 
and may start to financially exploit them. 
Be very careful and watch for the signs.” 
These can include a misuse of personal 
checks, credit cards or accounts, along 
with intimidation and blaming of the indi-
vidual being cared for. 

Legal Steps to Take to Plan for Caregiving

Patrick 
Simasko

Lynn 
Breuer

HEALTH

