Legal and Financial Considerations in Dementia Topic of UW-Led Session

Wills. Trusts. Estate planning. Official legal and medical documents. Caregivers of loved ones living with dementia can find these subjects intimidating, but valuable assistance can be obtained by visiting with a qualified attorney.

That’s the suggestion of Nancy Norton, of Norton Law Office LLC in Jackson, who will discuss these and other legal topics on the next edition of Wyoming Dementia Together (WDT), a statewide nonprofit caregiver network offered through the University of Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA).

This discussion for caregivers of loved ones living with dementia, titled “Legal and Financial Considerations in Dementia,” will be presented via Zoom Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 10:30 a.m. The conversation is free and open to the public.

Norton has been an attorney for more than 30 years and specializes in estate planning and elder law. She holds a law degree from New England Law in Boston and a B.A. in economics from Boston College. She has practiced law in Jackson for the past 10 years. Her professional website is located at www.nnortonlaw.com.

She previously appeared as a guest on “Once Again,” the WDT YouTube channel, to discuss legal issues caregivers should consider. That two-part conversation is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_N4X7EHh-8.

All of the information offered on “Once Again” should be considered possibilities for care; Norton recommends seeing a qualified attorney for direction on specific legal matters.

WDT meets by Zoom every other Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. throughout the year. Preregistration is required; the Zoom link to the program will be provided by email.

WDT support staff includes dementia care professionals; licensed clinical social workers; physical and occupational therapists; and caregivers themselves. The caregiver network began meeting in fall 2020 and has since been offering online programming help every other Wednesday.

Future programs will feature “Behavioral Challenges: Responding to Distress in Dementia,” Nov. 6; “Artificial Intelligence for the Caregiver,” Nov. 20; “Peace, Love and Joy in the Holiday Season,” Dec. 4; and “Our Gift to You: Ask the WDT Professional Support Team,” Dec. 18. More information is available online here.

For more information regarding registration for the network and other free services offered by WDT, call the WyCOA at (307) 766-2829 or email wycoa@uwyo.edu.