SAFE PLANNING

Ethel Mae was a fisherman’s daughter who developed a love for fishing at a young age and became a devoted fisherwoman. During her childhood, Ethel helped her dad with his small fishing business located in downtown Shreveport, LA during the 1930’s.

Ethel married Vernice Wiley when he returned from military service, and during their 50 years of marriage, they had six children together. The Wiley’s worked hard and put back some money for the future so that when Vernice finally retired, he and Ethel were able to buy a piece of land and enjoy their lake house.

After Vernice died in 1996, Ethel moved next door to her daughter Judy and husband, Aubrey. They had some wonderful times together during the five years prior to Ethel being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“This disease (Alzheimer’s) slowly, very slowly took Mom from us one memory at a time, over a period of eight years,” says Judy. “It was during this time that a dear friend of ours told us about Steve Rainey at S.A.F.E. Planning. Steve had helped him through his estate planning and got his wife on Medicaid. At our first meeting with Steve I felt a tremendous burden lifting from my shoulders.”

“His counseling and knowledge of Medicaid told me to trust him and his wonderful associates,” Judy continues. “I’m so grateful to them for helping us save Mom’s estate so we could provide the very best accommodations for her. We found a nursing home which had a safe environment for Alzheimer patients. Medicaid would have taken all Mother’s savings and her lake home.”

Before she went to S.A.F.E. Planning, Judy said that she didn’t know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. The heavy burden Judy had been carrying to make the right decision among all the confusion of the Medicaid bureaucracy fell from her shoulders to those at S.A.F.E. Planning. “From the first visit, anything came up concerning any issue, we called the staff and they just took care of it. Later in the week we’d get a letter telling us how the problem was solved,” explains Judy.

 Ethel has since passed away, but the family is comforted with the knowledge that she is with her best friend and husband of 50 years.