If you have a chronic illness, your personal planning will need to involve careful consideration of your condition. Many Americans experience ALS disease, Alzheimer's, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) or other types of chronic diseases.

If you or a loved one has one of these conditions, it is important to communicate with your attorney and other advisors about your condition. There are specific planning options both during life and for your testamentary plan that should be considered.

ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) is a disease that progressively affects a person's ability to control muscle movement. Symptoms include muscle twitching and cramping. Most ALS victims will eventually need a ventilator for breathing, but often will be quite clear-headed during their lifetime.

Alzheimer's is a disease with a progressive reduction in mental capacity. Mild Alzheimer's may be identified by memory lapse and forgetfulness. As Alzheimer's progresses, the individual begins to lose speech facility, forgets to follow normal personal cleanliness habits and loses control. Often, the Alzheimer's sufferer eventually loses the ability to recognize family members and other loved ones.

Huntington's disease is an inherited disorder. The person with Huntington's disease may have great difficulty with coordination and eventually will suffer from dementia and require full-time care.

Parkinson's disease is a disorder of the nervous system. It can lead to progressive deterioration of both the physical body and mental capabilities. Because there is great variation with the disease, some individuals with treatment are able to live reasonably long lives.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is also a disorder of the nervous system. There is progressive damage to nerve fibers that leads to physical and mental disability. MS may be fairly moderate at first but tends to lead to attacks that can cause progressive deterioration. MS may range from fairly mild to quite severe and very debilitating.

These five and other chronic diseases are all unique and different. Some afflict the body and others reduce the capabilities of the mind. For example, Alzheimer's has greater impact on mental ability, while ALS victims are often suffering in body but may be quite clear in mind.

Your attorney and other advisors need to understand the conditions sufficiently well so that your documents and plans reflect your particular circumstance.

The principal documents for any chronic illness are a durable power of attorney for healthcare, a living will and a HIPAA release. In many states, the durable power of attorney for healthcare and living will are combined into one document described as an advance directive.

Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare

If you have a chronic illness, particularly one that leads to loss of mental capacity, it is very important to have a designated person who can make medical decisions for you. In the event that you are unable to reason or communicate, your designated advisor must discuss your medical care with doctors and hospital staff.

A durable power of attorney for healthcare allows you to designate a trusted person to speak to the doctors on your behalf. This power in some states is a separate document. In others, it is the first portion of an advance directive. Many states refer to the person holding the durable power of attorney as your "healthcare proxy."

Regardless of the form of the document or the name of your agent, this person is qualified to make your medical decisions if required.

Whom Should You Appoint?

For a person with a chronic illness, this can be a challenging decision. You would like to select someone who understands your medical condition and your preferences about care. This could be a family member or friend.

Adult children are often selected, but may experience great emotional trauma in making an end-of-life decision. A friend may be a good choice if you do not have a child who feels willing or emotionally capable of making those decisions.

Generally, you will select a healthcare proxy agent and a successor. It is usually best not to select two persons as your proxy agent—they might disagree at a critical time while you are in need of an immediate decision.

Living Will

A person with chronic illness needs both a healthcare proxy agent and a living will. Your healthcare proxy agent can make decisions regarding your care, even if you are not near death. The function of the living will is to describe your preferences for care if you are potentially in your last weeks or days of life.

The advance of medical science has enabled doctors to keep people alive for extended periods of time, even if there is virtually no possibility of recovery. If you are in this circumstance, your living will provides guidance to your doctors.

For example, the living will can discuss whether or not heroic measures will be taken to sustain your life. If you have an irreversible condition with no chance of recovery, the living will also specifies whether nutrition and hydration will be maintained.

If you suffer from one of the chronic illnesses that affects mental capacity, it may be important for you to sign your living will before your mental health deterioration. Many Alzheimer's patients and other individuals with great mental deterioration are no longer capable of signing a living will.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA was designed to protect your rights to medical information. Your doctor and other medical providers will frequently acquire extensive background information and treatment information for your chronic illness. Under the HIPAA rules, there are safeguards to protect your personal medical information. A doctor, medical center or other provider may not disclose this information, particularly to someone who will use it for marketing or similar purposes.

However, you may wish to have your medical information released to your professional advisors so they can make appropriate decisions for you. In order to receive this information, your healthcare proxy must have a formal release from you.

The HIPAA release, which will be in writing, should describe the type of health information that may be released to the person. It may provide a general list of medical centers or providers or could have an open-ended release for any hospital or medical provider and may include a termination date. After you sign your HIPAA release, you can always revoke that release and sign a new one.

Many states have specific forms for advance directives, living wills or durable powers of attorney for healthcare. You will want to be certain that you have signed the correct form for your state.

Planning for retirement and senior care is very important. The activities of daily living for a senior person include eating, dressing, bathing and walking or moving. At some point, every senior will likely need assistance in one or more of these areas.

An important consideration will be the cost of providing that care. By retirement, it is helpful for you to own your home, be debt free, and have retirement income and savings. Retirement income will frequently include Social Security, your IRA or 401(k), a pension plan and investment earnings.

Typically, there are four different levels of care utilized by seniors. The first level includes "in-home care" which includes moderate assistance with certain living functions, such as meal delivery. In-home care often eventually progresses to "home healthcare," defined as assistance with the activities of daily living by a home healthcare aide or nurse. The next level is a more formal assisted living or independent living facility. In an assisted living facility, there are more staff and a higher level of assistance. Finally, the fourth level is skilled nursing care. This is 24-hour nursing care in a facility that is designed to provide a higher level of medical assistance.

Independent Home Care

Independent home care is popular for several reasons. First, it is the least expensive of the four levels of care. Independent home care, or "home care" typically provides a senior with assistance for one or more life functions that does not include healthcare.

With home care, seniors are able to live independently in their home. Seniors with home care might, for example, benefit from a program that delivers a daily meal to their home. If they are not able to maintain their driver's license, they might also participate in a ride-sharing program once or twice per week so they can go to the store to buy certain essentials.

There are a number of local charities that provide services to assist with home care and outreach services. In addition, friends and family can create a schedule to provide assistance to their senior loved one.

Finally, home care very often includes a home monitoring system that allows seniors to contact the monitoring service if they are injured. This service might also require seniors to check in at the same time every morning when an alert sounds so that the monitoring service can contact a relative who lives nearby if the senior does not respond.

Home Healthcare

The next level of care, home healthcare, involves a greater degree of assistance to seniors and includes healthcare services that are provided in the senior's home. Home healthcare will vary significantly depending on the level of services provided. However, it frequently will cost from $10,000 to $30,000 per year.

Home healthcare is preferred to assisted living or nursing home care because the person receiving care will be able to maintain his or her independence. While the cost is generally reasonable, there are many organizations and providers who can give you good quality care. A key decision for home healthcare is the person who will be the caregiver. Family is often the first option. If you have a child or other relative who is willing to provide assistance, you may be able to live quite comfortably in a family home or perhaps in an attached apartment.

The next level will frequently be a service provider such as a home healthcare aide. The aides visit on a regular basis and provide assistance. Many individuals are able to manage well by themselves as long as they have a home healthcare aide who makes regular visits.

A third level of home healthcare may involve visits by a practical nurse or registered nurse. The nurse may assist you with various types of care and check to see that you are using your medications or other types of therapy in a beneficial manner.

There are safeguards that should be carefully considered for home healthcare. The organizations that provide home healthcare are generally licensed by each state. You can check into their certification and also their reputation. It's also helpful to have a family member who is in regular contact with the senior person who is receiving home healthcare.

As you age and become more senior, it may be appropriate for you to stop driving and to depend on others for transportation. In addition, the family protector can watch to see that you do not make inappropriate expenditures or become vulnerable to any type of abuse.

Independent or Assisted Living

The next level of care is independent or assisted living which typically has a cost of $40,000 to $65,000 per year.

Many facilities provide both independent and assisted living. Independent living permits the individual to live in a residential facility, but to have a reasonably high level of control of his or her life. With independent living, the person will live in his or her own apartment or small residence and frequently retains a vehicle and the ability to drive. Independent living often offers a meals plan so that the resident can choose to eat in a common dining area.

Assisted living occurs in a more structured residence with a higher level of staff services. The assisted living facility will involve staff who regularly assist residents with the activities of daily living.

Long-term Care

Long-term care includes several levels of care. The two most common levels are skilled nursing and intermediate care. Skilled nursing will provide around-the-clock care from a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. The cost of skilled nursing care may be $90,000 to $110,000 per year.

Intermediate care facilities also are intended to care for residents that have chronic illnesses or impairments of health. These facilities offer 24-hour staff care. However, they will not always have a registered nurse and may use vocational or practical nurse staff.

It is extremely important with long-term care to examine the facility. Is the facility owned and managed by a for-profit or a nonprofit? What is the affiliation of the organization?

A person may be in a skilled nursing home for several years. Because the costs are very significant, the financial strength of the organization is quite important. If the organization at some point in the future has a financial shortfall, it may find it necessary to reduce services. This could have great impact on the care of a senior person.

Other areas to consider are the facility and the services. What is the location of the facility? You should review the cleanliness of the rooms and the public areas and try to determine the general feelings of current residents toward the facility. Many care facilities offer a number of different types of services. Some of these are social or recreational while others are therapeutic and health related.

Finally, how are the levels of staffing and the food service for the facility? A good facility will have a caring and adequate staff and food service team for the number of residents.

Alzheimer's Care

Alzheimer's is a challenging disease because it leads progressively to very high care requirements. Because of the staff and facility requirements, Alzheimer's care can cost $100,000 or more per year.

There are three general levels of Alzheimer's. Early-stage Alzheimer's involves some short-term memory loss, difficulties with routine tasks and mood swings. Middle-stage Alzheimer's patients may start to show confusion about time and place, loss of memory and wandering. With late-stage Alzheimer's, there is a loss of cognitive function and eventual physical deterioration.

Home care is possible for early-stage Alzheimer's. A family member can provide the level of care needed. It is important that the caregiver understands the risks and takes protective actions to minimize the potential for the senior person to wander off and become lost.

The next level of care is an organized senior residence with a measure of independence. This will provide available 24-hour care, but still enables an early or middle-stage Alzheimer's patient to have some level of control of his or her activities.

Finally, for advanced stages of Alzheimer's, the senior person will need 24-hour residential care. Family members should examine the rooms, consider the staffing levels and review the policies regarding medication for those Alzheimer's patients.

Are there any financial assistance programs you can refer me to? The coronavirus pandemic has cost me my part-time retirement job and has shrunk my IRA.

In addition to the $1,200 federal coronavirus stimulus checks that were distributed in April and May, there are many other financial-assistance programs (both public and private) that can help struggling retirees. These programs can also give relief to family members who help provide financial support for their loved ones.

To find out what types of financial benefits you may be eligible for, visit BenefitsCheckUp.org, a free and confidential website designed for adults 55 and older and their families. The website can help you locate federal, state and private benefits programs that can assist with paying for food, medications, utilities, health care, housing and other needs. This website service, created by the National Council on Aging, contains more than 2,500 programs.

To find out which benefits you qualify for, you will need to fill out an online questionnaire that asks a series of questions such as date of birth, ZIP code, expenses, income, assets, veteran status, medications you take and a few other factors. It takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Once completed, you will get a report detailing all the programs and services you may qualify for and detailed information on how to apply.

Most programs have online applications. However, some programs have downloadable application forms that must be mailed in or may require you to contact the program's administrative office directly. These programs will all give you the necessary information on how or where to send the application.

If you do not have internet access, you can get help in-person at any of the 84 Benefit Enrollment Centers located throughout the U.S. Call 888-268-6706 to locate a center in your area. Some benefit centers may offer assistance over the phone.

Types of Benefits

Depending on your income level and where you live, here are some benefits you may be eligible to enroll in:

Food assistance: Programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help pay for groceries. The average SNAP benefits for 60-and-older households is around $125 per month. Other programs that may be available include the Emergency Food Assistance Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program and the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.

Healthcare: Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs can help or completely pay for out-of-pocket health care costs. And, there are special Medicaid waiver programs that provide in-home care and assistance too.

Medications: There are hundreds of programs offered through pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and charitable organizations that help lower or eliminate medication costs. This includes the federal Low-Income Subsidy known as "Extra Help" that pays premiums, deductibles and prescription copayments for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.

Utility assistance: There is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), as well as local utility companies and charitable organizations that aid in lowering home heating and cooling costs.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Administered by the Social Security Administration, SSI provides supplemental monthly payments to very low-income seniors, age 65 and older. The SSI also provides for those who are blind or disabled. In 2020, the SSI pays up to $783 per month for a single person and up to $1,175 for couples.

In addition to these programs, there are numerous other benefits they can help you locate such as HUD housing, home weatherization assistance, tax relief, veteran's benefits, senior transportation, respite care, free legal assistance, job training and employment and debt counseling.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living" book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization's official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

Can you offer some good stretching tips for those who are staying home during the pandemic? I have gotten so stiff and achy in recent years that I have a hard time doing basic activities like bending over to tie my shoes.

Of all possible exercises, stretching tends to be the most neglected, yet nothing is more vital to keeping an aging body limber and injury free.

As we age, decreased physical activity can cause our muscles to lose elasticity. This can make common day-to-day activities difficult—like reaching down to tie your shoes or looking over your shoulder to back your car out of the driveway.

The good news is, by incorporating some simple stretching exercises into your routine (at least three times a week) you can greatly improve flexibility, balance, posture and circulation. You can also relieve pain and stress and prevent injuries. Stretching is important as a warm-up and cool-down for more vigorous activities. Additionally, leg stretching is an excellent way to prevent nighttime leg cramps.

Simple Stretches

Stretching exercises should focus on muscles in the neck, shoulders, arms, chest, back, hips, thighs, hamstrings and calves. If you have had hip or back surgery, you should talk to your doctor before doing any lower-back flexibility exercises.

While stretching, it is very important to listen to your body. You only want to stretch each muscle group to the point where the muscle feels tight. If it starts to hurt, you have gone too far. Back off to the point where you do not feel any pain, then hold that stretch for about 10 to 20 seconds. Relax, then repeat three to five times, each time trying to stretch a little farther, but not bouncing. Bouncing greatly increases your risk of injury.

It is also a good idea to warm up a little before you start stretching by walking in place and pumping your arms. Always remember to breathe while you stretch. Also, keep in mind that muscles that have not been stretched in a while take time to regain their flexibility. So be patient and go slow.

If you do not have much experience with stretching, the National Institute on Aging offers a free online guide that provides illustrated examples of flexibility exercises to help you get started. Go to order.nia.nih.gov and type in “Exercise & Physical Activity: Your Everyday Guide from The National Institute on Aging.”

There are also senior fitness programs, like SilverSneakers and Silver&Fit, that currently offer online flexibility and balance videos that guide you through a series of stretching exercises you can do at home during the pandemic. There are also a wide variety of stretching exercise DVDs or videos you could purchase.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living" book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization's official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.

What happens to my possessions if I die without a will? I am almost 60 years old and have never gotten around to making one, but it is starting to become more of a priority.

The coronavirus crisis has shifted the importance of many of life's activities and has emphasized the need to have your affairs in order. It has been estimated that, fewer than half of American adults have prepared a will or living trust.

If you die without a will, the state you reside in will determine what happens to your assets. Every state has intestacy laws in place that parcel out property and assets to a deceased individual's closest living relatives when there is no will or trust in place. But these laws vary from state-to-state.

Here is a simple breakdown of what may happen to your assets. Circumstances may vary based on state laws.

Married with children: When a married individual with children dies without a will, all property, investments and financial accounts that are jointly owned automatically go to the surviving co-owner without going through probate, which is the legal process that distributes a deceased individual's assets. For all other separately owned property or individual financial accounts, the laws of most states award one-third to one-half to the surviving spouse, while the rest goes to the children.

Married with no children or grandchildren: Some states award the entire estate to the surviving spouse, or everything up to a certain amount (for example the first $100,000). Many other states award only one-third to one-half of the decedent's separately owned assets to the surviving spouse, with the remainder generally going to the deceased individual's parents or siblings.

Jointly owned property, investments, financial accounts, or community property automatically goes to the surviving co-owner.

Single with children: All state laws provide that the entire estate goes to the children, in equal shares. If an adult child of the decedent has died, then that child's children (the decedent's grandchildren) split their parent's share.

Single with no children or grandchildren: In this situation, most state laws favor the deceased individual's parents. If both parents are deceased, many states divide the property among the siblings of the deceased individual, or if they are not living, their children (the decedent's nieces and nephews). If there are not any living immediate family members, it goes to the next of kin, and if there is no living family, the estate passes to the state.

Make a Will

To ensure your assets go to those you want to receive them, you need to create a will or trust. If you have a simple estate and an uncomplicated family situation, there are do-it-yourself resources that can help you create all these documents for very little money. It is always advisable to consult with an attorney to ensure the documents meet state law requirements and will meet your goals.

If you want assistance or if you have a complicated financial situation, blended family or considerable assets, you should hire an attorney. An experienced attorney can make sure you cover all your bases, which can help avoid family confusion and provide peace after you are gone. Costs will vary depending on where you live, but you can expect to pay anywhere between $200 and $1,000 for a will.

Most states have directories of attorneys licensed to practice law, which may help you find someone in your area.

Savvy Living is written by Jim Miller, a regular contributor to the NBC Today Show and author of "The Savvy Living" book. Any links in this article are offered as a service and there is no endorsement of any product. These articles are offered as a helpful and informative service to our friends and may not always reflect this organization's official position on some topics. Jim invites you to send your senior questions to: Savvy Living, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070.