People often need to be surrounded by a circle of love as they age. They might benefit from the support of caregivers. And medical attention can be essential. But these simple statements bring to the fore more questions than they answer. Who supports the caregiver? What type of support do they need? And while it is certain that older people, as is the case with virtually everybody else, require medical care some things are much less clear. Precisely what form should this care assume? Do they need care that differs from that delivered to people in other age groupings?

People cringe at the thought that they might become incapacitated, unable to make their own decisions about their medical care or their finances. But these things do happen, and people can protect themselves by establishing contingency plans as soon as possible.  They can ensure that their wishes will be respected even if they can no longer vocalize their thoughts.

Brad Greene, a guest on this show is an elder law lawyer who can fill us in on the details. He is a partner with BartimoleGreene in Ohio .