Ask Carlwith Carl Zacharia
Something happening with an aging parent, spouse, or other family member, and you’re not sure what to do?
Tell me what’s happening. You don’t have to know the right terminology or even know what question to ask. There is no charge.
I’ve practiced elder law since 1995. I’ve seen a lot.
Too often, families come to me after they’ve already spent money they didn’t need to spend, exhausted themselves trying to care for someone alone, or made an important decision without realizing there were other options.
The problem usually isn’t that they made a bad decision.
They simply didn’t know whom to ask.
That’s why I created Ask Carl.
— Carl Zacharia
Three real situations
These are based on real situations. Details have been changed and no one is identified. Every family’s facts are different, and no outcome is guaranteed.
A husband was determined to care for his wife, who had dementia, at home.
He had mortgaged his house twice to pay private caregivers.
He did not know that Medicaid-covered home and community-based care options might have been available.
He didn’t need a sales pitch. He needed someone to tell him his options before he mortgaged his house again.
A wife assumed her husband could never qualify for Medicaid because he had approximately $600,000 in an IRA and she had approximately $100,000 in hers.
She was stunned to learn that Medicaid eligibility was not as simple as she believed.
She had already answered a question she didn’t know how to ask.
A daughter was told her mother’s dementia and wandering behavior had become too difficult for her current memory-care facility.
She believed she had to locate another memory-care facility.
She did not realize that an appropriate nursing facility with secure care could potentially meet her mother’s needs and accept Medicaid.
Sometimes the problem isn’t finding the answer. It’s knowing what options exist.
Don’t worry about knowing the terminology or even knowing what question to ask. Just tell me what’s going on in your own words.
There is no charge to ask.
Carl Zacharia has practiced elder law since 1995. He has been licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania since 1993 and Florida since 1994.
Carl is the principal founder of Zacharia Frey, the founder of Senior Care Resources LLC, and the creator of Medicaid In A Minute, MyLifeFolio, and MyLifeMemoir.
For more than three decades, he has worked with families dealing with Medicaid, dementia, incapacity, long-term care, nursing homes, assisted living, estate planning, guardianship, and the practical problems that arise as people grow older.
Ask Carl grew out of something he kept seeing repeatedly: families making enormous decisions without realizing that better options might exist because they simply didn’t know whom to ask.
Ways Carl can help
Ask Carl is free, and for many families an answer is enough. Sometimes, once you understand your options, you need someone to actually help. When that’s the case, Carl may point you toward one of the organizations he founded. Asking a question here does not engage either of them.
Founded by Carl
Need help navigating Medicaid?
Senior Care Resources helps families with long-term-care Medicaid screening, administrative planning, and application services.
Carl is the principal founder
Need legal help?
Some situations involving aging, Medicaid, incapacity, estate planning, guardianship, asset protection, or long-term care require individualized legal advice. Carl practices law through Zacharia Frey PLLC.
More resources from Carl
Over the years Carl built a few tools for problems he saw families run into again and again. If one of them fits your situation, it’s here. If not, just ask.
Created by Carl
Wondering whether Medicaid may be an option?
Start with a guided Medicaid screening designed to help identify potential eligibility issues and better understand where you stand.
Created by Carl
Make important information easier for your family to find.
Organize important personal, medical, family and other information so the people you trust can find what they need when it matters.
Created by Carl
Your estate is more than your assets.
Preserve the stories, memories, experiences and family history you want future generations to know.
You don’t need to figure out what kind of problem this is. Just tell Carl what’s happening. There is no charge.
Tell Carl What’s Happening