UW Program Offers Legal Options for Dementia Caregivers

Caring for someone living with dementia is an enormous responsibility, and it is beneficial to consider legal matters among those responsibilities. Legal options for dementia caregivers are the topic on the next edition of “Once Again,” the YouTube channel program hosted by the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA).

Nancy Norton, of the Norton Law Office LLC in Jackson, will discuss several legal topics on “Once Again,” a video presentation that can be found on Wyoming Dementia Together’s (WDT) YouTube channel here. The program also may be found through the YouTube search feature by accessing “Wyoming Dementia Together - Once Again.” The program will be uploaded and available for viewing beginning Wednesday, Jan. 24.

Viewers are invited to subscribe to the channel and hit the “like” button. Both actions will help the channel grow and reach more caregivers of loved ones with dementia. Comments and questions from viewers are encouraged in the section below the posted interview.

In the program, Norton will explain the types of legal planning often beneficial to caregivers, such as power of attorney and power of attorney for health care. She also will discuss common barriers to planning that caregivers face while offering suggestions to those caring for someone who has become incapacitated by the dementia illness.

The information she offers on “Once Again” should be considered possibilities for care; Norton recommends seeing a qualified attorney for direction on specific legal matters.

Norton has been in practice more than 25 years and specializes in estate planning and elder law. She holds a law degree from New England Law-Boston and a B.A. in economics from Boston College. She has practiced law in Wyoming for the past 10 years.

“Once Again” is coordinated through the WyCOA-sponsored WDT group, which includes dementia care professionals, licensed clinical social workers, physical and occupational therapists, and caregivers.

For information about free services offered by WDT, call WyCOA at (307) 766-2829 or email wycoa@uwyo.edu.

For more information, go to the WDT Caregiver Network website.