Carolyn L. Rosenblatt

About

Carolyn Rosenblatt is a Registered Nurse and Attorney with 40 years of combined experience in her two professions. As a nurse, she has extensive experience with geriatrics, chronic illness, pain management, dementias, disability, family dynamics, and death and dying. As a trial attorney, she advocated for for the rights of injured individuals and neglected elders.

Together with her husband, Dr. Mikol Davis, she founded AgingParents.com, a resource for those who are caring for aging loved ones at home or in facilities. She is also the author of The Boomers Guide to Aging Parents, a nine part series offering practical solutions to common legal and health care problems caregivers and adult children of aging loved ones face every day.

Links

Recently Published on Caring.com

  1. Wednesday January 18, 2012

    1. What should I do if 2 of my 3 siblings are blocking my mother's entry into a Residential Care home?

      Answer - Dear Eldest Son: Given your description, it is urgent that you take steps to protect your mother. I do not know the law in the UK, but hope that there is means to secure power over the situation so that you can stop the self-neglect and danger to her...

    2. What should I do if 2 of my 3 siblings are blocking my mother's entry into a Residential Care home?

      Answer - You mention that your siblings are blocking your mother's entry into a residential care home. This must be frustrating for you. There is not enough information for me to answer all of the issues you raise. For example, I am unfamiliar with the term "medical assessor". You also do not state the reasons why she needs residential care...

  2. Friday December 02, 2011

    1. How can I get my aunt to stop bothering me for my Grandmother's POA rights?

      Answer - You ask how you can get your aunt to stop bothering you for your grandmother's POA. You also mentioned that your grandmother has dementia.

  3. Sunday November 27, 2011

    1. Is there a type of assisted living where my disabled adult sister and my mother can live?

      Answer - You ask about assisted living for a disabled adult and your elderly mother. As long as you are able to pay out of pocket for the monthly cost of assisted living, there are suitable choices available in many communities. A smaller facility with flexible accommodations for a mentally challenged person...

  4. Thursday November 03, 2011

    1. Am I wrong to ask my family to compensate me while caring for my mother?

      Answer - You want to know if it's fair to ask for compensation for being her caregiver. Of course it is, provided your mother has money with which to pay you. The dollar value of what you are doing would exceed an average full time salary at another job...

  5. Thursday August 18, 2011

    1. How can I get my mother-in-law out of the house with out upsetting my husband?

      Answer - You're experiencing a common struggle with family conflict around living with a parent. There are few situations in which this goes perfectly. What can you do about it?

  6. Friday July 15, 2011

    1. Can a guardianship can be undone?

      Answer - You ask about undoing a guardianship for your mother. It sounds as if you have correctly figured out that it would be unsafe to do so. A guardianship can only be undone if the person who wants it to be undone is able to prove to the court that appointed a guardian that the reasons for having it have changed and that it is no longer appropriate...

  7. Tuesday June 14, 2011

    1. My mother won't accept help from anyone else and my life is a mess because of it, what should I do?

      Answer - Dear Caregiver:

  8. Friday May 06, 2011

    1. How do we convice my fiercely independent parents that they need help?

      Answer - You describe your independent parents and getting help as a worrisome problem. You are not alone. So many people, like you, are trying to prevent disaster by getting their parents to accept help.

  9. Friday April 22, 2011

    1. How can I help my mother be more social and accept help from others?

      Answer - You ask about helping mom be more social when she rejects the offers of help you have made or tried to set up. It's important to find out more about what's going on with mom's mental health. Social isolation can be risky for elders. Sometimes it's related to depression, to dementia or to other issues...

  10. Thursday April 14, 2011

    1. Can I take legal action against my family for upsetting my mother with Alzheimer's?

      Answer - You ask about your Mom with Alzheimer's and the abusive phone calls she gets from relatives. From your question, I'd like to focus on this phrase: "Maybe I'm supposed to interfere since I'm her caregiver and supposed to be protecting her."

  11. Tuesday February 08, 2011

    1. This family needs help - what can be done for them?

      Answer - Your question about a close relative caregiver who needs help and doesn't know where to get it has a lot of parts. First, let's consider the mom who has dementia.

  12. Wednesday January 19, 2011

    1. How do I get my mom to change her every day life in order to care for my dad?

      Answer - Your question about how to get mom to take care of dad suggests that you believe your mom wants to do this but just hasn't changed her lifestyle. Perhaps she doesn't want the job. She may also be in denial, which is very common, and she may be pretending to herself that dad doesn't need taking care of because he's fine...

  13. Wednesday December 01, 2010

    1. My grandparents need help but are stubborn!

      Answer - Your question raises a number of problems, among them the issue of your grandparents needing care but not wanting it. What can be done depends on quite a number of factors.

  14. Tuesday November 23, 2010

    1. Should my aunt file for bankruptcy, although she owns a house?

      Answer - You have asked about filing for bankruptcy to pay for care for your aunt. The picture you describe is complicated and bankruptcy may not be the best way, but it is an option. However, first things first.

  15. Friday November 05, 2010

    1. Can the hosptial provide paperwork to prove my dad is incapacitated?

      Answer - Your question about whether the hospital can provide paperwork for the bank to prove that your father is incapacitated has a long and a short answer. The short answer is "no".

  16. Friday September 24, 2010

    1. Is there a law that limits how many residents a Certified Nurse Assistant can care for?

      Answer - I do not know of a law that specifically limits the number of residents a CNA can have at any one time. I don't claim expertise on that point. The law does give some guidance on how many hours per day of nursing care a nursing home resident must receive...

  17. Friday September 03, 2010

    1. Can the nursing home force my mom to take coumadin?

      Answer - Your question is complex, so I'm going to break it into parts. You ask if the nursing home can force a patient (your mom) to take medication.

  18. Thursday September 02, 2010

    1. How do you make a personal care agreement for someone with dementia?

      Answer - A personal care agreement is a contract and therefore, anyone signing it has to be legally competent to do so. If the parent with whom you're trying to make a personal care agreement about has dementia, it may not be possible to get the parent to sign anything...

  19. Wednesday July 14, 2010

    1. What are the obligations of an assisted living facility if my mother was injured there?

      Answer - Your question about your mom's assisted living injury raises the issue of whether the facility is able to protect its residents. Legally, assisted living facilities are in a somewhat problematic position. They fill the gap between being at home, which is usually unsafe, and being in a nursing home,...

  20. Wednesday June 02, 2010

    1. Is it legal to have my father live with an HIV+ person in a nursing home?

      Answer - Your question is complex, and in part asks about exposure to disease in a nursing home, or group home. I am unclear what kind of home your father is in, but will assume that it is a skilled nursing facility. For this kind of facility, there are rules from both the state and federal government which must be followed by the facility...

  21. Friday May 21, 2010

    1. Mom's nursing home is kicking her out, but I can't care for her in my home. What do I do?

      Answer - You appear to be looking for options when your mother is evicted from a nursing home. First, I would seek a complete medical evaluation of your mom. If her behavior is a problem, there may be medical reasons which have not been fully considered or appropriately treated. Seek the input of a neurologist and a psychiatrist...

  22. Friday May 14, 2010

    1. The nursing home won't supply my mother's file; what can I do legally?

      Answer - Your question is about a nursing home and medical record provisions. As you have spoken with a lawyer about a possible claim and have tried in all appropriate ways to get the records, it's time to go back to the lawyer and let her or him know that the facility is dragging its feet, which is probably in violation of the law...

  23. Wednesday May 12, 2010

    1. How can I obtain my deceased mother's medical records?

      Answer - You ask about getting your deceased mother's medical records. I am not clear about why you want them, but my experience is that most often, people want a deceased person's medical records because they suspect that something was not right about the care the deceased received. If that is the case, be prepared to pay a fee for the records...

    2. How do I report caregiver fraud?

      Answer - You raise the question of possible caregiver fraud. The answer to what you can do about it depends on who is paying for the care. If it is the state or county in which you live, you can contact the adult protective services, or its equivalent in your county and say that you wish to report what appears to be fraud...