Long-Term Care Pharmacy Crisis Hits Nursing Homes

By Lee Pruitt

Takeaways

• Long-term care (LTC) pharmacies — not retail drugstores — are essential to medication safety in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
• Medicare drug price changes took effect January 1, 2026, cutting key LTC pharmacy reimbursements. Without a fix, pharmacies may cut staff and services or close, raising risks for residents.
• A bipartisan bill was introduced in 2025, but as of spring 2026 it’s still stalled.

When Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, part of the goal was to lower prescription drug costs for Medicare patients. For millions of seniors in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, though, a little-noticed side effect of that law is starting to hinder their access to those drugs.

The Pharmacies You Haven’t Heard Of

Long-term care (LTC) pharmacies are specialized pharmacies that have no walk-in customers or front-of-store merchandise. Their sole purpose is to serve the roughly 2 million Americans who live in nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and hospices.

They do far more than fill prescriptions. The typical nursing home resident takes an average of 13 medications. Organizing and administering them safely requires support that goes well beyond what a retail drugstore provides.

LTC pharmacies specially package medications to prevent errors, conduct monthly reviews of each resident’s full medication regimen, and maintain emergency kits and after-hours coverage. They also coordinate medication management when residents transfer in from hospitals — a critical step, since errors during those transitions are a common cause of avoidable hospital readmissions.

These critical services come at a cost. Dispensing medications to LTC residents is costlier than dispensing to retail customers, due to the specialized packaging, regulatory requirements, frequent deliveries, and mandatory 24/7 staffing. Unlike retail pharmacies, which can offset thin prescription margins with sales of snacks, greeting cards, and cosmetics, LTC pharmacies have no such cushion. Their revenue largely comes from Medicare Part D prescription reimbursements — making them uniquely vulnerable to changes in how Medicare pays for drugs.

Why LTC Pharmacies Are Essential

The people that LTC pharmacies serve are often among the most medically complex patients in the health care system. Nursing home residents commonly live with combinations of dementia, heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory illness, and other serious conditions. Many are physically unable to travel to a pharmacy, unable to manage their own medications, or both. For these individuals, an LTC pharmacy is essential to their daily care.

LTC pharmacies also play an important role for people with disabilities who live in long-term care settings but are not elderly. These residents may have complex medication regimens stemming from physical or neurological conditions and rely on the same specialized services.

The safety implications are substantial. Medication errors are among the most common and serious adverse events in long-term care settings. Having a dedicated pharmacist review each resident’s monthly medication list and be available around the clock for consultations provides an important safeguard against potentially dangerous mistakes. When LTC pharmacies function well, they help keep people healthier, prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, and improve quality of life for vulnerable patients.

LTC pharmacies also provide support to the nurses and aides working in these facilities. Facility staff rely on LTC pharmacies to supply medication carts, maintain emergency kits, manage complex delivery schedules, and handle the administrative burden of prescription management. Without LTC pharmacies, the workload on already-stretched staff would increase substantially.

The Inflation Reduction Act and an Unintended Consequence

The Inflation Reduction Act gave Medicare the authority, for the first time in the program’s history, to negotiate prices directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers for certain high-cost drugs. The resulting “maximum fair prices” took effect on January 1, 2026, and are estimated to reduce costs for selected drugs by roughly 38 percent to 79 percent. For Medicare patients who take those medications, that’s a genuine benefit.

For LTC pharmacies, however, it is a financial gut punch. The problem lies in how their business model works. LTC pharmacies have long relied on the margins from brand-name drug reimbursements to cross-subsidize the losses they routinely take on generic drugs, where reimbursement rates are notoriously thin.

Eight of the 10 drugs selected for the first round of Medicare price negotiations are brand-name medications heavily prescribed to nursing home residents. When the reimbursement rates for those drugs dropped sharply on January 1, 2026, LTC pharmacies lost part of the financial cushion that kept them viable — with no offsetting compensation for the specialized, federally mandated services they provide on top of dispensing the drugs.

The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC), the leading advocacy group for LTC pharmacies, estimated that the financial hit would be unsustainable. Without a way to make up for the lost revenue, 60 percent of its member pharmacies would be forced to close locations, 90 percent would lay off staff, and 80 percent would have to reduce services and increase fees.

A separate analysis found that pharmacy closures could ultimately cost taxpayers up to $4.8 billion in increased health care costs over the next decade, as nursing home residents lose access to the medication management services that help keep them out of the hospital.

The Bill That Wasn’t Passed in Time

In August 2025, a bipartisan group of House members introduced the Preserving Patient Access to Long-Term Care Pharmacies Act. Lead sponsors — Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) — proposed a targeted fix: a temporary $30 supply fee paid to LTC pharmacies for each prescription dispensed under the new Medicare negotiated prices in 2026, with a slightly higher inflation-adjusted fee in 2027. The bill would also require a federal study on the long-term sustainability of LTC pharmacy reimbursement under Medicare. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) in November 2025.

Major provider and pharmacy groups endorsed the legislation and urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to act. These efforts have not yet yielded a solution.

The Crisis Is Here

January 2026 arrived without a fix in place, and the consequences have unfolded as predicted. “We are witnessing the collapse of America’s long-term care pharmacy infrastructure in real time,” the SCPC has stated. “These aren’t projections — these are decisions LTC pharmacies are making right now because small and mid-size LTC pharmacies cannot survive under the current reimbursement structure.”

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill remain in committee as of spring 2026, with no floor vote scheduled. Advocates are still pushing for passage. However, the bill would now need amending to make any relief retroactive to January 1. Staff layoffs have already begun at pharmacies nationwide, and service reductions are expected to follow.

The painful irony is that the people most harmed by this situation — long-term care facility residents who depend on LTC pharmacies for safe, reliable access to the medications that keep them healthy — are among the Medicare patients who were supposed to be helped by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Lowering drug prices is only part of the equation. Getting that drug safely into the hands of someone who can’t drive to a pharmacy, can’t manage their own medications, and can’t wait until morning is a challenge that requires its own infrastructure. Congress created the rules that require that infrastructure to exist. So far, it has declined to ensure that it can survive.

Created date: 05/26/2026 

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Long-Term Care Pharmacy Crisis Hits Nursing Homes

Elder Fraud Unit arrests NC woman for grand theft and money laundering

May 22, 2026

Case #: 2026-001198

A Charlotte, North Carolina, woman was arrested this week for her alleged role in scamming a 66-year-old Bradenton man out of at least $100,000. 

May 18, 2026, Elder Fraud Detective Jim Curulla, with assistance from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, arrested Elizabeth Ann Hildbrand, 51, on charges of Grand Theft and Money Laundering. Hildbrand is awaiting extradition to Manatee County. 

The victim filed a fraud report with BPD in February 2026. He reported investing approximately $300,000 over two years with an online company called "Tesla 1." The victim realized he'd been scammed after attempting to withdraw money from his "Tesla 1" investment account. 

The victim reported communicating via text messages and the Telegram app with two individuals acting as "brokers," including Hildbrand. Financial records indicated the victim transferred a total of $87,651 through wire transfers and cashier's checks to bank accounts owned by Hildbrand. Additionally, the victim purchased Apple gift cards totaling $22,500 and provided the card numbers and PINs to the "brokers." He also mailed an undetermined amount of cash. 

Subpoenas for Hildbrand's financial records indicated she deposited much of the victim's money into her accounts and subsequently made numerous cryptocurrency transactions. 

Following her arrest, Hildbrand agreed to speak with Detective Curulla. She stated she believed she was romantically involved with "Elon Musk" and agreed to help the billionaire purchase cryptocurrency. Hildbrand said she later realized she had become the victim of a romance scam; however, investigators determined she continued to accept money from the Bradenton victim and transfer the funds into cryptocurrency. 

The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report shows that Cyber-related crimes cost Americans nearly $21 billion last year. Actual losses are likely significantly higher because many scams go unreported. Investment scams and romance scams ranked among the top five most commonly reported and costliest online scams. 

In 2025, cases investigated by BPD's Elder Fraud Unit accounted for approximately $8 million in reported losses. So far this year, the unit has investigated losses of at least $750,000 (as of May 1, 2026).  

For information on the Bradenton Police Department Elder Fraud Unit, as well as resources to protect yourself against common scams, visit Bradentonpd.com/Elder-Fraud-Unit. 

Source:
Elder Fraud Unit arrests NC woman for grand theft and money laundering 

VFW Applauds Federal Court Ruling Against Veterans Guardian

Federal judge confirms VFW’s long-held position that unaccredited claims companies are unlawfully profiting from veterans

May 26, 2026

 

WASHINGTON – The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) welcomed a major federal court ruling in North Carolina finding that claims consulting company Veterans Guardian violated federal law by preparing and presenting veterans’ disability claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) while charging fees and operating without VA accreditation.

In its order, the court stated, “The evidence is undisputed that Guardian is not accredited, that on behalf of veterans it prepares claims forms, that in those forms it presents disability claims for decision by the VA, and that it charges fees for doing so. These actions violate federal law.”

“This is one of the clearest judicial statements we have seen confirming that these companies are acting unlawfully,” said VFW General Counsel John Muckelbauer. “For years, the VFW has argued that unaccredited claims companies cannot avoid federal law simply by calling themselves ‘consultants’ or ‘coaches.’ The court looked beyond the marketing language and focused on the conduct itself.”

The ruling directly rejects the industry’s long-standing argument that fee-charging claims companies operate outside the VA accreditation system because they are not technically representing veterans as “agents.” Instead, the court determined the company’s activities constituted claims representation under existing federal law.

The decision also reinforces the VFW's long-standing position that current federal statutes already prohibit unaccredited entities from charging veterans for assistance with disability claims preparation and submission.

According to materials filed in the certified class action, plaintiffs alleged Veterans Guardian collected more than $250 million from veterans during the class period, underscoring the scale of the issue nationwide.

“This decision should serve as a wake-up call,” said Muckelbauer. “The court made clear these facts were ‘undisputed.’ That matters. It demonstrates that the law is not unclear or outdated, as the industry has repeatedly claimed. Veterans deserve qualified, accredited representation — not companies exploiting loopholes and charging illegal fees.”

The VFW calls on Congress and the VA to use the ruling as a basis for stronger enforcement actions against unaccredited claims actors and to continue opposing state-level efforts aimed at legitimizing fee-charging companies operating outside the VA accreditation framework.

The VFW remains committed to protecting veterans from predatory practices and ensuring they receive free, accredited assistance when navigating the VA claims process.

Read the full federal court decision. 

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VFW Applauds Federal Court Ruling Against Veterans Guardian 

Toronto woman found guilty of manslaughter of elderly mother in elder abuse case

A Toronto woman has been found guilty of failing to provide the necessaries of life, criminal negligence for days on end, causing death and manslaughter in relation to the death of Vasiliki Atanasovski – her elderly mother. 

It's a disturbing case of elder abuse that Eva Samonas still denies. 

Global News crime specialist Catherine McDonald reports. 

Source:
Toronto woman found guilty of manslaughter of elderly mother in elder abuse case 

Widow defends wrongful-death claim against Iowa nursing home

by Clark Kauffman 

New allegations of wrongdoing have emerged in the latest wrongful death lawsuit involving a Pleasant Hill nursing home.

Court records indicate Parkridge Specialty Care of Pleasant Hill has been sued three times in recent years for wrongful death. The most recent case, filed in August 2025 by the estate of Maris Bergis, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from the home’s corporate owner, Care Initiatives of West Des Moines, for alleged dependent adult abuse, recklessness, negligence and wrongful death.

The lawsuit alleges Parkridge “negligently cared for Bergis and violated numerous regulations, laws, rights, and industry standards, causing (him) personal injury, illness, harm, and a decline in health.”

According to the lawsuit, Bergis was admitted to Parkridge on Sept. 1, 2023, for what was initially planned to be a 48-hour stay following his hospitalization for pneumonia. Upon admission, he was allegedly alert, awake and oriented, and Parkridge was tasked with providing physician-prescribed breathing treatments and monitoring him for difficulty with breathing and any signs of anxiety, confusion or restlessness.

During the course of Bergis’ stay at Parkridge, the staff at the home allegedly failed to administer the breathing treatments. The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing subsequently cited Parkridge for its care of Bergis, finding that it had delayed providing necessary medical care and treatment.

While the lawsuit does not indicate when, where or how Bergis died, it claims the “gross negligence, and/or recklessness” of Care Initiatives and Parkridge “were the cause of Bergis’ decline in health, injuries, damages and untimely death.”

State inspection reports indicate Bergis was alive, but was increasingly nonresponsive, late in the afternoon on Sept. 4, 2023, which was three days after his admission to Parkridge. The inspection records indicate Bergis was sent to a hospital by ambulance at his spouse’s insistence, but they provide no information as to the hospital’s diagnosis or treatment outcome.

Widow: ‘Staff frequently failed to respond’

In recent case filings, Bergis’ widow, Leila Bergis, recounted in a sworn affidavit her version of what transpired at Parkridge during her husband’s stay at the facility.

“When he arrived at Parkridge, he was not in a diaper,” she stated. “However, he called to go to the restroom once, and they did not come quickly enough, so he urinated in his pants. After that, they put him in a diaper – not because he was incontinent, but because they were not attending to his calls for assistance to use the bathroom … On multiple occasions, Maris and I used the call light to request assistance. Staff frequently failed to respond in a timely manner. Many times, staff took more than fifteen minutes and up to at least 30 minutes to respond.

“On one occasion, I arrived at Parkridge and found Maris in bed with his clothing soaked in urine. I called for staff to assist him. Although staff changed his undergarments, they did not bathe him or otherwise clean him… After Maris’ stay, while cleaning out his room, my daughters and granddaughter discovered a pair of his sweatpants in a dresser drawer that were soaked with urine.”

In her affidavit, Leila Bergis described the physician-ordered breathing treatments her husband was to receive while at Parkridge.

“The Parkridge staff did not set up Maris’ breathing treatment equipment or have the albuterol — the medication — in his room,” she alleged. “The equipment sat unplugged underneath the TV. Because of this, Parkridge did not give Maris the breathing treatments that were ordered by his physician. Even if I wanted to help give him a breathing treatment while he was at Parkridge, I couldn’t. This is because Parkridge did not have any albuterol in the room.”

Attorney: ‘They stripped Maris of his dignity’

She said that one day she arrived at the facility and found her husband “partially out of his bed and struggling to breathe. I demanded he be taken by ambulance to the hospital. When the paramedics arrived, Maris was barely breathing. At that time, a nurse attempted to cover up Parkridge’s neglect by administering a breathing treatment as if it was part of their routine care. This was the first and only time Parkridge ever attempted to provide him with a breathing treatment.

“When Maris arrived on September 1, 2023, his prognosis was to come home. However, in about three days, Parkridge treated him so poorly and neglected him so badly — by letting him soak in his own urine and failing to give him prescribed treatment — that we had to rush him out of Parkridge by ambulance to the hospital.”

Care Initiatives has denied any wrongdoing, and is seeking to have the case dismissed due to the plaintiffs’ failure to file a certificate of merit signed by an expert witness who can attest to Parkridge’s alleged failure to meet the standard of care expected of the home.

In response to that argument, the Bergis family’s attorney, Matthew M. Sahag, has filed a brief with the court arguing that Care Initiatives is claiming “you need an expert to say it’s wrong to strip a man of his dignity – leaving him to sit in his own urine while he struggled to breathe. The Iowa Supreme Court says otherwise. So does common sense … They stripped Maris of his dignity and now ask this court to believe that ordinary Iowans cannot understand that.”

The court has yet to rule on the motion to dismiss the case, and a trial in the matter remains scheduled for Oct. 4, 2027.

Two other wrongful-death claims

In recent years, two other families have sued Parkridge and Care Initiatives, alleging wrongful death:

In August 2024, the family of the late Kerry Morris sued, alleging that Morris died at age 58, one week after being admitted to Parkridge for what was supposed to be a temporary stay to assist with recovery from a leg amputation. The lawsuit claims that on the evening of Aug. 23, 2022, two nurses failed to respond to a certified nurse aide’s request that they come to the assistance of Morris, who was in respiratory distress at the time.

In March 2025, with Care Initiatives attempting to force the matter into arbitration, the parties reached a settlement in the case and the lawsuit was dismissed with no public disclosure of the terms of the deal.

In June 2024, the family of Neuang Boun Sisamouth sued Parkridge and Care Initiatives, alleging that on June 20, 2022, the staff at Parkridge failed to respond to her deteriorating condition, despite dangerously low blood sugar levels. Licensed Practical Nurse Dezaree Major failed to call 911 as ordered, and there was a 90-minute delay in transporting Sisamouth to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later, the lawsuit claims. A trial is scheduled for March 29, 2027.

In 2022, the Iowa Board of Nursing alleged Major was working at an unspecified Iowa nursing home in 2021 where, for five months, she falsified various medical records and performed nursing services beyond the scope of her license.

Full Article & Source:
Widow defends wrongful-death claim against Iowa nursing home  

State reduces fine for nursing home charged with ‘life-threatening’ injuries

by  Clark Kauffman

The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing oversees nursing homes in the state of Iowa. (Photo via Getty Images; logo courtesy of the State of Iowa)

State regulators have reduced the fine imposed against a Des Moines care facility after mistakenly tripling the penalty due to a previous regulatory violation.

The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing has cited Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center, a Des Moines nursing home located on Woodland Avenue, for failing to safely transfer a resident into her bed while using a mechanical lift.

According to the state inspectors, that failure resulted in “severe harm” to the resident, who on April 29 fell from the lift “and sustained life-threatening injuries,” including a subdermal hemorrhage, which is a surface-brain bleed; a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is an inner-brain bleed; a broken neck bone; a broken collarbone; and a broken thigh bone in one leg.

The inspectors’ written report indicates the resident was taken by ambulance to a hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit for consultation with a neurosurgeon.

One employee of the nursing home reportedly told inspectors she didn’t examine or check the lift straps or hoops on the mechanical lift to ensure they were securely attached before attempting to transfer the resident. She allegedly said that when the woman fell, she struck the floor with her face.

As a result of the incident, the inspections department initially assessed a $7,750 fine and then tripled that to $23,250 due to it being the second resident-safety citation in the past 12 months.

However, state records show the facility had last been cited for a resident-safety violation in January 2025, which was 15 months before the April 29, 2026, incident — outside the 12-month window for tripling the fine.

Last week, after the Iowa Capital Dispatch asked DIAL whether a separate resident-safety violation had been cited in the past year but not publicly disclosed, the department checked its records and reversed course on the tripling of the 2026 penalty, bringing it back down to $7,750.

DIAL’s records show the January 2025 penalty against Scottish Rite Park was itself a tripled fine due to the repeat nature of the violation. Originally, Scottish Rite was to be penalized $5,000 for injuries sustained by a resident who fell and fractured an ankle while being the staff was transferring her to a recliner.

Because the home had been cited in July 2024 for a similar safety violation involving a resident transfer, the January 2025 penalty was then tripled from $5,000 to $15,000. 

Full Article & Source:
State reduces fine for nursing home charged with ‘life-threatening’ injuries 

Glamorous judge accused of bullying, intimidation and delaying cases so she could take her DOGS for a walk

By ELIOT FORCE

An Alabama judge has been suspended after she was accused of significant misconduct and abuses of power which allegedly included delaying cases so she could take her dogs for walks. 

Probate Judge Yashiba Blanchard was named in a 120-page complaint filed last week by Alabama's Judicial Inquiry Commission, a body that investigates allegations of misconduct by state judges.

The filing claims that Blanchard intimidated attorneys and retaliated against staff at Jefferson County Probate Court, including one clerk who allegedly missed the chance to say goodbye to her dying sister after she was reassigned to a new court following a disagreement with the judge.

Blanchard, 52, was elected to her position in 2024 and took the bench in January 2025. She presides over time-sensitive cases including adoptions, conservatorships, guardianships, involuntary commitments, trusts, wills and estates.

However, the complaint accuses her of regularly being late, delaying and rescheduling cases and generally failing to perform her duties in a timely manner. 

On one occasion she allegedly left a patient languishing in hospital and separated from loved ones around Thanksgiving after postponing a hearing on her release. 

The complaint states the patient was eventually discharged in time for the holiday after the hospital begged Blanchard for help.

The lengthy complaint detailed dozens of specific examples of alleged misconduct. It claimed that she was 'sometimes 30-45 minutes late' to hear dockets, in one case telling her staff that she was late 'because she had three dogs to walk.' 

'On at least one occasion [Blanchard was] over an hour late, wherein the patients, social workers, psychiatrists, and patients' families were forced to wait on Judge Blanchard, wasting valuable time and resources,' the complaint stated.

She was accused of abruptly delaying hearings for weeks, which had real negative consequences for patients in hospitals seeking to be discharged.

In one case detailed in the complaint, a patient who was the subject of an involuntary commitment hearing originally scheduled for November 18 had her hearing suddenly rescheduled to December 2. 

The hospital emailed Blanchard and her staff three times requesting the hearing be expedited so that the patient could be discharged in time to be home for Thanksgiving and avoid 'undue emotional distress,' per the complaint.

'With the cancellation and the rescheduling of her hearing to December 2, this patient will now remain hospitalized for an additional two weeks solely due to the lack of timely access to the hearing process,' the hospital wrote in its second email. 

'This not only prevents her from being home with her family for Thanksgiving, but it also generates unnecessary hospitalization costs and creates avoidable emotional distress for the patient and her loved ones.' 

Blanchard finally held the hearing and discharged the patient on November 20 after the hospital sent a third email explaining that the patient was lying in bed crying, according to the filing. 

The complaint also listed 33 specific cases regarding estates, conservatorships and guardianships that have been pending for up to more than a year since they were filed, despite some of them being 'routine and brief in nature.' 

Additionally, the complaint stated that Blanchard had 'a pattern and practice of bullying and retaliation against probate court staff' from her first day as probate judge and would reassign staff as a form of retaliation.

The complaint states that the judge, who is black, had made racially charged remarks about white chief clerk Amanda Reid. 

Blanchard allegedly asked a staffer if they liked Reid, to which the employee replied that they did and 'had no issues with her.'

Judge Blanchard then said, "Oh, I forgot you all like kissing white ass,"' the complaint said. 

The judge also allegedly regularly reassigned staff from the Birmingham courthouse to one in Bessemer that had a significantly lower caseload and had no legitimate need for additional staff. 

The complaint alleges the transfer were retaliatory as 'there were more than four times the number of open cases in the Birmingham Division versus the Bessemer Division.' 

When staff requested to be transferred back to Birmingham, Blanchard ignored them or otherwise showed indifference, the complaint said. 

In one case, a clerk asked to return to Birmingham and said her reassignment added 40 minutes to her commute and made it more difficult to visit her sister who was dying from cancer.

Blanchard never responded according to the complaint and 'shortly thereafter, the clerk’s sister died,' according to the filing.

The clerk was allegedly unable to make it to the hospital in time to say goodbye because she was 'stuck in traffic driving to the hospital from Bessemer.'

The judge is also accused of bullying attorneys by removing them as conservators, holding them in contempt without legitimate reasons and filing unfounded state bar complaints and baseless police reports.

She allegedly removed attorney Ripon Britton from the law firm Hand Arendall Harrison Sale as conservator simply because she 'did not trust him,' according to the filing.

Blanchard has until June 25 to officially respond to the complaint which is not an indication of any guilt, after which the Court of the Judiciary will determine whether to remove her from office, suspend her without pay or censure her. 

The Alabama's Judicial Inquiry Commission said: 'The Commission cannot provide any information of any kind to anyone who contacts the Commission about a pending or prior complaint or investigation.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Blanchard and Jefferson County Probate Court for comment. 

Full Article & Source:
Glamorous judge accused of bullying, intimidation and delaying cases so she could take her DOGS for a walk 

See Also:
Jefferson County judge suspended, complaint says she called herself “ultimate authority”

Feigenholtz leads expansion of supported decision-making law

 Senator Sara Feigenholtz News

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois would soon join a growing list of states that have expanded alternatives to traditional guardianship to maximize independence, thanks to legislation passed by State Senator Sara Feigenholtz.

“The goal is to prioritize an individual’s autonomy in making personal decisions about their own life.  Everyone has a right to self-determination when it comes to important life decisions,” said Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). “By expanding this model of support, we are providing people with more control over their own decision-making.”

A supported decision-making agreement allows an individual to identify a supporter to help them interpret information, weigh options, and communicate their decisions about health care, life choices, and financial matters. This unique model fosters confidence and supports people’s ability to make informed decisions while maintaining autonomy.

Traditional guardianship is more restrictive than a supported decision-making agreement in terms of the autonomy someone has over their finances, employment, housing and other life decisions. Many people do not need to enlist a traditional guardian prematurely but will instead benefit from their chosen decision-making assistant when making complex or weighty decisions.

To maximize opportunities for greater autonomy, Feigenholtz’s proposal would establish clear guidelines for implementing and overseeing supported decision-making, ensuring the law’s effective and safe application.

“Being able to make informed decisions about your own life is fundamental – yet many individuals, especially older adults and people with disabilities, have that fundamental right taken away through guardianship when less invasive alternatives exist,” said Feigenholtz. “With expanded supported decision-making, we are creating a new path: one of person-centered support that respects individual freedom.”

House Bill 5365 passed the Senate on Thursday. 

Source:
Feigenholtz leads expansion of supported decision-making law 

How Inheritance Thieves Get Away with It: From Secret Loans to Forged Wills, Estate Hijacking Is Rising

by Amanda Blankenship

Few things destroy families faster than a fight over money after someone dies. Unfortunately, inheritance theft is becoming more common as aging Americans hold trillions of dollars in homes, retirement accounts, and investments. In some cases, the theft comes from total strangers using forged documents and fake wills. In many others, the people accused are relatives, caregivers, or trusted friends who quietly manipulate vulnerable seniors before anyone notices. Here are seven reasons more thieves are getting away with it these days.

1. Forged Wills Are Becoming More Sophisticated

One of the most shocking forms of inheritance theft involves forged wills that suddenly appear after someone dies. Probate experts have warned that fake wills are increasingly being used to redirect estates away from rightful heirs, especially when elderly individuals live alone or die without close oversight. Some fraudsters create simple documents naming themselves as beneficiaries and rely on overwhelmed probate systems to avoid scrutiny. Investigations overseas have already uncovered organized groups targeting estates through fraudulent paperwork and suspicious beneficiary claims. Family members often do not realize anything is wrong until property deeds, bank accounts, or retirement assets have already been transferred.

2. Secret Loans and “Caregiver Debt” Drain Estates Quietly

Another growing tactic involves secret loans or undocumented promises made shortly before death. A caregiver, friend, or relative may suddenly claim the deceased owed them thousands of dollars for housing, errands, or medical support. These claims sometimes appear with handwritten notes, suspicious repayment agreements, or unverifiable cash transactions. In many families, grieving relatives are so emotionally overwhelmed that they never question the paperwork. Once the estate starts paying out these alleged debts, recovering the money can become extremely difficult.

3. Power of Attorney Abuse Happens More Than People Realize

Power of attorney documents are designed to help seniors manage finances safely, but they can also become dangerous tools in the wrong hands. Financial exploitation cases frequently involve someone gaining control over an elderly person’s accounts and quietly moving money before death. According to federal lawmakers and financial regulators, elder financial exploitation includes the improper use of an older adult’s property, funds, or assets. In many reported cases, suspicious withdrawals, home transfers, or beneficiary changes happen while the senior is sick, isolated, or cognitively declining. Some families only discover the damage after reviewing bank statements months later.

4. Isolation Makes Seniors Easy Targets

Inheritance thieves often rely on isolation to succeed. An elderly parent who suddenly stops answering calls, cancels visits, or becomes dependent on one individual may already be under manipulation. Financial abuse experts say perpetrators commonly create emotional dependency before pushing for account access or estate changes. Adult children, romantic partners, neighbors, and caregivers are frequently accused because they already have trust and physical access to important documents. Once isolation takes hold, it becomes much easier to pressure someone into signing revised wills or transferring assets.5. Digital Probate Systems Have Created New Vulnerabilities

5. Digital Probate Systems Have Created New Vulnerabilities 

Many probate systems have modernized and moved online, which has streamlined filings but also introduced new risks. Experts investigating inheritance fraud say reduced in-person verification and automated processing have made it easier for suspicious documents to slip through unnoticed. Fraudsters may submit altered paperwork electronically before family members even know probate has started. In some situations, heirs living in different states discover estate filings only after major decisions have already been approved. That delay can give thieves valuable time to liquidate assets or transfer property ownership.

6. Family Members Are Often the Biggest Threat

Many people assume inheritance theft is committed by strangers, but family members are often at the center of these disputes. Reports on elder abuse consistently show that relatives account for a large percentage of financial exploitation cases. Financial stress, rising housing costs, and expectations surrounding the “great wealth transfer” have intensified tensions within families. Some heirs begin treating a parent’s assets as future income long before death occurs. That mindset can lead to coercion, manipulation, or outright theft disguised as “helping.”

7. Victims Frequently Stay Silent Out of Shame

One reason estate hijacking keeps growing is that many victims never report it. Seniors may feel embarrassed, afraid of retaliation, or unwilling to accuse relatives publicly. Federal authorities say elder fraud losses continue climbing every year, with billions lost annually across the United States. Online discussions about inheritance disputes also reveal how difficult it can be for families to find legal help or law enforcement support once money disappears. By the time lawsuits begin, records may be missing, witnesses unavailable, and estates drained.Protecting an Estate Requires Action Before a Crisis

Protecting an Estate Requires Action Before a Crisis 

The harsh reality is that inheritance theft often succeeds because families wait too long to prepare. Seniors should regularly update wills, use reputable estate attorneys, review beneficiaries carefully, and avoid giving unchecked financial control to one person without oversight. Families should also pay attention to sudden isolation, rushed legal changes, or unexplained financial activity involving aging relatives. Even small safeguards like dual oversight on accounts, secure document storage, and regular communication can reduce the risk dramatically. Inheritance thieves count on silence, confusion, and delayed action, which is exactly why early planning matters so much. 

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How Inheritance Thieves Get Away with It: From Secret Loans to Forged Wills, Estate Hijacking Is Rising