Marietta, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/22/2011 -- All parents should have a plan in place should an emergency strike during school hours, according to Marietta, Georgia, attorney, Steve Worrall. Preparations include naming short-term guardians, listing the right people on school emergency cards and leaving detailed instructions with babysitters to avoid involvement with social services.

"Do you think a school emergency card is enough to protect your kids if something happens to you during school hours?" asks attorney Steve Worrall to a crowd of parents attending his popular Protect My Kids! seminars last month in Marietta, Georgia.

The majority of the room raise their hand yes. A few parents are undecided. Yet from a legal standpoint, all of them are wrong.

"Contrary to popular belief, a school emergency card will not protect your children from spending time in the hands of social services if something tragic happens to you, "says Worrall. "The emergency card only gives named contacts permission to pick your kid up if they are sick, not take short-term custody of them if one or both parents are killed or incapacitated in an accident," he adds.

For this reason, experts such as Worrall recommend parents create an emergency plan prior to going to back to school so there is no confusion or legal headaches should tragedy strike. According to Worrall, this plan can be created in 3 easy steps:

1. Legally name short-term guardians for your kids- Short-term guardians are the people who have legal permission to care for your child until the surviving parent or long-term guardian can arrive. This should ultimately be someone who lives close by and one who will comfort your children in an emergency.

2. Make sure your short-term guardians match those named on the school emergency card- In addition to listing friends and neighbors who can pick your child up from school if he or she gets sick, it's equally important to list the full contact information of your short-term guardians for true emergencies. Without this information, your children could be placed temporarily in the custody of social services until the surviving parent or legal guardian can arrive.

3. Make sure the babysitter knows what to do if you don't return home- It's extremely important that parents give their a.m. or p.m. babysitters detailed instructions on what to do and who to call if they don't return home. In most cases, a babysitter will panic and turn to the police for help, again opening the door for social services to temporarily take custody of your kids until a long-term care provider can arrive.

"Creating a back-to-school emergency plan is so easy--- and something that will greatly pay off if a parent is injured or killed during school hours," Worrall says. "The first few hours after an emergency are the most painful for a child, so it's important for parents to make sure their kids spend that time with people they love and trust, rather than in the arms of the state," he adds.

For more information on Marietta family attorney, Steve Worrall, please visit http://GeorgiaFamilyLaw.com or call 770-425-6060. You can also sign up for an upcoming Protect My Kids! Plan Workshop at http://www.meetup.com/Protect-My-Kids-Planning-Workshops/ or http://protectmykidsplan.com.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

According to Marietta elder law attorney, Steve Worrall, Alzheimer’s and Dementia awareness week (February 14th –21st) is the perfect time to have ‘tough conversations’ with aging parents about their wishes and plans should the disease ever strike.

Marietta, GA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/02/2011 -- "Does mom want to live in a nursing home?"

"Does dad consider living with Alzheimer's or Dementia to be quality of life?"

"Is there legal documentation in place that ensures someone can act financially on mom or dad's behalf if they are unable to?"

These are just three of many questions that experts are urging adult children to ask their parents during Alzheimer's and Dementia Awareness Week (February 14th- 21st). Without the answers to such questions, families could be left battling over long-term care, struggling financially and not truly honoring their parent's wishes should the disease unexpectedly strike.

"So many families avoid talking about Alzheimer's or Dementia until it's too late," says Marietta elder lawyer, Steve Worrall. "Especially from a legal standpoint, if you don't know your parents' wishes or the documentation they have in place, you could be left with a huge mess on your hands in the wake of this debilitating disease".

According to Worrall, there are 5 specific conversations adult children should have with their parents as soon as the opportunity presents itself. They comprise the following:

1. Long-term care preferences- Does mom or dad want to live in a nursing home or would they prefer in-home care if the need presented itself? If they prefer a facility, what amenities and activities are important to them at this point in their life? These are questions that if discussed in advance can make the transition into an assisted living facility or a home-health care program much easier on everyone when the time comes.

2.Current Legal Documentation- It's imperative that adult children find out what legal documentation their parents have in place before incapacity occurs. This includes making sure their parents have a power of attorney, health care directive and HIPAA forms so someone can easily step in to make financial or medical decisions on their behalf. Otherwise the family will be forced to petition a court for control over their parent's affairs if they have passed the point of legal capacity.

3. Medical Preferences and Wishes- Adult children are urged to find out what type and how much medical care their parents want after receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer's or dementia. Do they have specific wishes about life support or other end-of life medical treatments? Who do they want to make such decisions on their behalf? The answers to these questions will help your parents to feel secure knowing their wishes will be carried out during an otherwise emotionally-charged time.

4. Current state of financial affairs- To ensure finances stay properly managed after a diagnosis of Alzheimer's or Dementia, adult children should use this week to start asking tough questions about their parent's financial affairs. This includes finding out the location of any safety deposit boxes, bank accounts, investment or brokerage accounts, outstanding debts or other assets unknown to the family. Otherwise, necessary assets needed to cover long-term care or other expenses could be overlooked when memory loss ultimately occurs.

5. Important contacts and information- While their memory is sharp, adult children should work with aging parents to compile a list of important contacts and information that will be useful to the family if memory loss occurs. This includes documenting key doctors, professional advisors (ie. accountant, attorney, financial advisor) and important passwords for online accounts.

"While these conversations are certainly not easy to have, families can make the transition into living with Alzheimer's or Dementia much easier by simply planning ahead," says Worrall. "Not to mention, mom or dad will appreciate your willingness to make sure their wishes are honored if and when incapacity occurs".

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Marietta family law attorney Stephen M. Worrall has launched his new Georgia Family Law Blog, at http://sworrall.typepad.com/georgia_family_law/. The Blog features news and thoughts on Family Law Issues in Georgia, including divorce, alimony, child support, child custody, visitation, property division, adoption and more.

Marietta, GA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/22/2007 -- Weblogs, or blogs, have become more and more commonplace, and blogs on legal topics provide useful information to consumers of legal services.

Marietta, Georgia, divorce and family law attorney, Stephen M. Worrall, of GeorgiaFamilyLaw.com, The Law Firm of Mullin & Worrall, LLC, has started a new blog on Georgia divorce and family law topics. Entries to date have included useful tips for parents going through divorces on helping their children through the process; information about divorce, debts and bankruptcy; factors affecting fitness in child custody disputes; frequently asked questions about the new Georgia child support guidelines; and summaries of recent divorce and family law opinions in cases in the Supreme Court of Georgia.

The Georgia Family Law Blog can be found at http://sworrall.typepad.com/georgia_family_law/ or by linking through Mr. Worrall's firm website at www.georgiafamilylaw.com.

The blogging landscape is a relatively new area for attorneys, whose blogs are sometimes called "Blawgs" (for Law Blogs). The website blawgsearch.justia.com lists eleven blogs in Geogria (the others are focused on criminal, personal injury, and bankruptcy law issues) . The same site lists 47 blogs in the United States focused solely on family law issues.

People involved in or thinking about divorce, paternity, adoption, child custody, child support or other family law issues will find the site a valuable source of information and education about the process in Georgia.

Mr. Worrall is highly experienced in handling family law matters. He is a member of the family law sections of the Cobb County Bar Association (he is a past President of the section), The Atlanta Bar Association, The State Bar of Georgia and the American Bar Association. He is a member of the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law Inn of Court. He is rated AV by Martindale Hubbell, the highest such rating available to any individual attorney.

The firm's practice is concentrated in all areas of family law, including divorce, adoption, prenuptial agreements, domestication of foreign decrees, child custody, child support, property division, alimony, modification, paternity, legitimation, domestic violence, grandparent's visitation. Mr. Worrall primarily practices in the Superior Courts of the metropolitan Atlanta area, including Cobb County, Cherokee County, Bartow County, Fulton County, Paulding County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County and Forsyth County, among others throughout Georgia.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm