Elder Law Scholar New Class President

October 13, 2009

The staff at Law ElderLaw LLP wishes to congratulation Matt VanDyke, our Elder Law Scholar. Matt recently became the freshman class president at Olivet Nazarene University.

"I am really grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me. It's a pretty big responsibility, but I think so far it's been rewarding," Matt says. "The class I'm representing is the largest in the school's history, so that is pretty exciting. One of my goals will be to connect our class to each other through our faith and to unite our class with the community as a whole."

As Elder Law Scholar, Matt spent the summer learning to bridge communication lines between seniors in the community and young people like himself. He plans to apply what he learned in whatever ways possible during his time at college.

Attorney Zach Hesselbaum on Board of Oswegoland Seniors Inc.

September 2009

Attorney Zach Hesselbaum of Law ElderLaw LLP was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Oswegoland Seniors Inc. This organization is a not-for-profit Illinois corporation developed to work with the Village of Oswego, Oswego Township, and the Northeastern Illinois Agency on Aging to establish a 501(c)(3) organization to take over the running of the Oswego Senior Center.

The Senior Center started out in 2007 as a congregate meal program to feed seniors a balanced meal twice a week. After 18 months of running a successful meal program feeding about 110 seniors at each meal, they moved to what was formerly Traughber Junior High School, to accommodate the growing number of seniors — between 120 and 140 people twice a week. Additionally, the Senior Center has computer classes, Bingo, Bunco, Pinochle, movies, line dancing, craft programs, and the Wii Game for exercise — and with the local Y.M.C.A moving into the building, they will be able to provide area seniors with even more opportunities to stay healthy. Several times a month they have speakers on subjects ranging from better nutrition to identity protection, current senior scams, and health care information.

Attorney Gina Salamone Engaged

August 26, 2009

Attorney Gina Salamone of Law ElderLaw became engaged this week.

Her boyfriend of four years, Shaun Callahan, asked her to marry him on Sunday, August 22. While they do not have a date picked out yet, Gina hopes to have a wedding here in the Fox Valley area, or possibly a destination wedding. Shaun and Gina recently purchased their first home in the Aurora area.

Honor Flight Network

Rick Niksic of our office recently discovered the nonprofit Honor Flight Network, which has the privilege of giving our veterans a special tribute for their service to our country. Honor Flight transports veterans, especially senior veterans or those with failing health, to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials — but it's much more than that. Read on to hear about Rick's amazing experience as a guide with Honor Flight.

Honor Flight: July 15, 2009

My assignment as a volunteer guide began with a Saturday training session. Guides met with the volunteer Honor Flight leaders and got a preview of the trip and the job of the guide. The primary duty of the guide is provide constant company for the veteran, with an emphasis on safety.

Day of the flight:

Guides and volunteers met at Chicago Midway Airport at 4:00 a.m. for a final briefing.

The vets began arriving at 4:30 and are introduced to their guides. My veteran was 84-year-old Navy Bosun's Mate William "Bill" Lebus. Bill was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. He had a promising baseball career — he was offered a minor league contract with the Cubs at 16. He could have been the pitcher that the Cubs are still looking for. Ironically, Bill is a lifelong White Sox fan!

At 17, Bill got permission from his parents (reluctantly given) to enlist soon after Pearl Harbor was attacked. He chose the Navy because he "wanted to see the world." He served as a gunner assigned to Merchant Marine ships in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, where he was wounded twice and received a Purple Heart as well as other decorations.

Speaking with Bill came easily. We were able to talk about sports (our mutual love of the White Sox), his years of flying his own plane until he had to give it up in 1999, and the fact that Bill was a successful participant in pool tournaments all over the U.S. We spent some of the quiet moments on our trip talking about his experiences in battle, lost friends, and a book he wrote about his experience saving the SS Robin Sherwood from sinking after it had a mishap while crossing the North Atlantic.

Bill still lives independently in Des Plaines, Illinois and remains active in many veterans' groups.

The trip itself is a miracle of organization and an emotional roller coaster. Volunteers, young active military personnel, and various officials escort the veterans to a Southwest Airlines gate where they are greeted by the USO serving breakfast — and an "Andrews Sisters" act singing the songs that these men heard as they were shipping out 67 years ago! Vets, guides, group leaders and 60 wheelchairs(!) are loaded on a flight destined for Dulles Airport in Washington DC.

Upon landing at Dulles we were saluted by fire equipment shooting streams of water as fire crews stood at attention, saluting as we pulled into the gate. As we unloaded (70 vets, 60 Guides, 60 wheel chairs, and numerous volunteers), we were greeted by Honor Flight "Ground Crew" and active troops in uniform. The warmth and respect was amazing! We were escorted to large coach buses where we went to our first stop — Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier. After a emotional tour past 320,000 graves of men and women who served our country, we were taken to Fort Meyer for lunch with members of "The Old Guard." This is where the Presidential Ceremonial Guard is stationed. We were joined for lunch by members of the Guard (who all look like they could be soldiers cast in a movie — the these young men are the best of the best), who showed a reverence and respect for our veterans that brought tears to vets and guides alike.

Our next stop was the World War Two Memorial, where we were greeted by WWII re-enactors and local officials. (I thought the time spent here would be the most emotional part of the day — but I was later proven wrong). As we assembled at this beautiful memorial, a ceremony was held to honor the men and women who served that are no longer with us. As "Taps" was played you could hear a pin drop, and there was not a dry eye in the place. Then we spent over an hour at a computer center where families can memorialize their veteran. We were able find Bill's war history, as well as my father's — Sgt. Joseph Niksic, who landed at Normandy and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, but passed away before "his memorial" was completed.

Our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial, where some of the group was able to visit the Korean War Memorial and the Viet Nam Memorial and we spent a little relaxation time in the shade.

As we arrived at Baltimore Airport for our flight back, we were again greeted by another group of supporters! After boarding (70 vets! 60 guides! and 60 wheelchairs!), we started the flight home, which was interrupted by an announcement of "mail call." Any vet remembers the importance of Mail Call — it meant letters from home that might have been weeks in finding these young soldiers and sailors! On our flight each veteran received a package of letters thanking them for their service, from family members and from school children from all over Chicagoland.

With another salute as we approached the gate, we were all pretty well spent. It was 11:30 p.m. and we though, our long day was about at an end. Bill and I were two of the first off the plane, where we were greeted at the end of the jet way by Honor Flight volunteers and a few young troops. The shock came as we turned a corner and were greeted by over 200 sailors in dress whites, standing at rigid attention on either side of the hallway. As we passed through this gauntlet, each seaman snapped a crisp salute. We all gathered at the end where, one at a time, our veterans were approached by a sailor who asked for "the honor of escorting them through the rest of the welcome home." The next turn brought us through another gauntlet of 200 motorcycle club members holding American flags and welcoming each vet with a handshake and a pat on the back. All of this with the accompaniment of a drum and bagpipe corps.

The final turn brought us in to a crowd of over a thousand friends and family members welcoming these heroes back home. Family members had been asked to be there for the welcome (but not to tell their vet). At one point Bill said "Oh my gosh — there's my daughter, grandson, and some of my great-grandkids!" As we reached the end, the sailors excused themselves with a salute and family members started to find each other in tearful reunions.

I finally made it home about 2:00 a.m. — 24 hours after getting out of bed... but I couldn't get to sleep as I relived this incredible day.

The time and dedication of the people in Honor Flight is amazing! From founders like Susan Stanits and Mary Pettinato; to trip volunteers like Steve Schaeffer and Hershel Luckinbill; to Chicago volunteers like Roseann Darabaris who was there at 5 a.m. and back for the welcome home at midnight and ended up giving Bill a ride home so he wouldn't have to worry about finding a cab! These are people are quietly working to honor an endangered species — our World War II veterans who, quite literally, saved our way of life and then quietly came home and got back to the business of rebuilding America.

I want to thank Honor Flight for the opportunity to join them on this trip and to also thank Bill Lebus, an American hero, for the privilege of accompanying him to visit his memorial.

RCN

Leading Lawyers Network — Diana Law

Recently, Diana Law became the youngest attorney to be selected as a Leading Lawyer and was featured in the Network's magazine. Read below to see the article as it appeared in the publication:

Law ElderLaw, LLP is dedicated to serving seniors and those who love them in the Chicagoland area. The firm deals daily with the complicated maze of Medicaid, estate planning, taxation, long-term care planning, special needs trusts, and veteran's benefits for our clients.

Diana Law, Esq. plays an integral role within the firm, focusing on the elder law niche, including litigation due to financial abuse of an elder, guardianships, and estate administration. She is actively involved in the community and has won a number of awards, including the Kane County Bar Association's Outstanding New Lawyer Award in 2007. She is second vice-president of the KCBA's Executive Board of Managers and is also involved in several bar committees. In addition, she acts as social chair for the Kane County Bar Association. Diana is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

Diana and the rest of the Law ElderLaw team make it their goal to meet not only the legal needs of clients, but to address their pain, confusion, and sense of loss caused by the burden of long-term care needs. Law ElderLaw touches clients where they are hurting and provides wise and experienced counsel. Clients need guidance through difficult family situations and to understand complicated public benefits. The legal team communicates with clients in a hands-on and understandable way. The goal is to provide clarity and direction in getting through the byzantine and often adversarial Medicaid, VA benefits, and long-term health care systems, advocating to make sure that clients are aware of the many community resources that are available.

At Law ElderLaw, a key goal is to help clients age-in-place with dignity, safety, and peace of mind. Our clients' goal is to never be out of money and quality health care options — and the firm works to help them achieve that goal. There are many wrong turns on the elder care journey, and the firm is a trustworthy guide to better outcomes through experienced advocacy coupled with compassion.

Jonathan Johnson Named Chairman of Provena Pineview Advisory Board

June 1, 2009

Jonathan Johnson of Law ElderLaw, LLP has served on the advisory board at Provena Pineview Care Center in St. Charles for the past four years. As of 2009, he was appointed Chairman of the Board.

The group celebrated in May by having a pancake breakfast, where Jonathan took on another role: pancake server. "I decided to serve up the pancakes to the rest of the board and other Provena employees, because I wanted to show that I really believe in servant leadership. It was also a great way for me to get to know the 'hands' of the business — I have great respect for the day-to-day heroes who serve our seniors."

Jonathan feels honored and privileged to be appointed to serve on this board, as it gives him a greater opportunity to help seniors in the Fox Valley area.

Special Needs Alliance/Autism Society of America convention 2009

Rick Law served alongside other Special Needs Alliance attorneys, Brian Rubin (IL), King Self (TN), and Jim Caffry (Vermont) at the July 2009 national convention of the Autism Society of America. Special Needs Alliance is a national organization of attorneys dedicated to the special legal needs of children and adults with special needs due to chronic pediatric conditions and long-term illness/injury. Special Needs Alliance motto is "special needs require special attorneys."

Improving Seminar Quality

Law ElderLaw is constantly trying to find new ways to serve the community. Recently, Rick Niksic, our education and outreach director, and Zachary Hesselbaum, Esq. decided we would move our seminars up to Continuing Education (CE) quality. They submitted a seminar topic on advanced directives "Shadow of Schiavo," to the Illinois Nurses Association and the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation.

We have been approved to use this seminar to provide 2 hours of CE for both nursing professionals and social workers. In addition, Law ElderLaw, LLP has been approved by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation as a Sponsor of Continuing Education for State Licensed Social Workers.

Since these approvals, Zach and Rick have presented to licensed health care professionals at various long-term care facilities, including Rush-Copley Medical Center. "Shadow of Schiavo" provides an in-depth look at the importance of having advance directives for your family in the case of incapacity and terminal illness. This seminar has been well received by the attendees. For more information or to schedule a seminar, call Rick Niksic at Law ElderLaw at 630-585-5200, or send an email to rniksic@lawelderlaw.com.

Diana Law Named Outstanding New Lawyer by Kane County Bar Association

During the Annual Membership Dinner and Awards Ceremony on June 14, 2007, at Eagle Brook Golf Club, a young attorney was presented with the "Outstanding New Lawyer Award". Diana Law, of Law ElderLaw was this year's honoree.

KCBA Board Member Pat Kinnally nominated Diana Law. She has been a lawyer and a member of the KCBA and the Illinois State Bar Association since 2004. She has shown her commitment to the KCBA by involving herself and contributing to several committees, such as the Social Committee (Chair), Golf Outing Planning Committee, and the 150th Anniversary Planning Committee. Diana has attended the KCBA's Long Range Planning Meeting and recently was elected to serve on the Board of Managers. She is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and many other committees. Dedicated to becoming a complete professional in her field, Diana also serves within the community. Diana is an exceptional lawyer who demonstrates integrity and professional responsibility with every case she encounters.

The Kane County Bar Association is honored to present this award to an Outstanding New Lawyer.

Rick Law named speaker and advisor for hospital group

Rick Law has been named as an Approved Speaker and Advisor for the Provena Medical Center Speaker's Bureau. The Provena Medical group operates several hospitals and long-term care facilities in Illinois.

As an approved Speaker/Adviser, Mr. Law participates in the training of medical personnel such as discharge planners, nurse case managers, social workers, and members of the senior community. The topics for these seminars focus either on Medicaid and Long-Term Care or Advance Directives (Living Wills, Powers of Attorney for Health Care, Do Not Resuscitate Orders, and The Five Wishes).

Of Widgets, Duckies, and Teddy Bears

LawElderLaw was delighted to be mentioned in the SmartMarketing SmartBlog:

In marketing professional services, or anything else for that matter, it helps to have a widget.

What's a widget? A widget is a thing that you use as a give-away, a gift, a door-opener, and (when you have a very good widget) as a symbol of your firm.

Read more "Of Widgets, Duckies and Teddy Bears"

New Association to Provide Medicaid Info Hotline

Rick L. Law, attorney and executive director of the Medicaid Info Network (an association of trusted physicians and advisors), has announced that beginning in 2005, members of the association will be issued a PIN number which will allow them to request free legal information on basic issues confronting the aging and others with long-term health problems. For more information, call LawElderLaw at (800) 810-3100.