Garden State Trust Company...................................8

Establish a plan, diffuse a crisis, or ask a question... ANNEMARIE SCHREIBER, ESQ.

Certified Elder Law Attorney*

has the knowledge and experience to help you!

Four Steps To A Perfect Estate Plan

Despite the fact you may think you have completed everything that is necessary for your estate plan once you have signed your estate documents, think again! Experts all agree your estate planning does not stop there. There are four additional steps to the perfect estate plan and they are essential to keep in mind. Upon signing your documents you should:

Communicate: Let those named in your documents know you have prepared and signed your documents. It is also important that those individuals know where you have put your documents so they can locate the documents in the event they need to access them. A common mistake people make is to go home and throw the documents in a file. Then, years later, when an emergency arises and you need assistance no one knows where the documents are or who has the authority to make decisions. This leads to confusion and stress. Don’t keep your estate plan a secret. Share the knowledge: This step is probably the hardest for most people. Oftentimes, parents can be reluctant to share information about their finances with their children. At the very least, they need to know where they can find an accurate list of all of your accounts and investments, as well as a list of all internet passwords. Review your medical directive with your agent and share your thoughts is also known as a health care proxy directive, a durable power of attorney for health care or an advance directive. An regarding medical care so they are familiar with your wishes. individual appoints a trusted person to be his or her representative in the Out with the old: Shred all documentation that is no event the creator of the document can no longer make medical decisions for longer needed. This will save your loved ones the time and him- or herself. energy of trying to determine the status of accounts and is a legal document in which an individual states his or assets that have long been redeemed or closed. her wishes regarding medical treatment and end of life care. An individual’s Update: Finally, you need to keep your plan current. preferences for medical treatment and end of life care are often included in What may have been an excellent estate plan several years ago may no longer fit your needs. Lives change, family relationships change, finances change: all of which often necessitate changes to your documents. If you need assistance with your estate planning documents or if you have any questions related to your estate planning, please contact the Law Offices of Carluccio, Leone, Dimon, Doyle, and Sacks, we’ll be happy to help.

Certified Elder Law Attorney, Annemarie Schreiber answered questions and offered informaton on the Caregivers First TV show, hosted by Lynette Whiteman, Executive Director of Caregiver Volunteers Of Central Jersey. The episode aired last December 12th on local TV stations (visit www.scannj.com for listings). It is also be posted on www.CLDDS.com.

Estate Planning, Probate, and Administraton Wills and Trusts Powers of Attorney Advance Medical Directives Disabillity Planning Guardianships/ Conservatorships Medicaid/Medicare Planning Asset Preservation and Protection Elder Abuse Cases Healthcare Decisions Nursing Home Issues Social Security Counseling and Document Preparation Estate and Gift Taxes

...and More.

* As a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the ABA approved National Elder Law Foundation, Annemarie Schreiber is one of only 400 or so attorneys in the entire United States who is a qualified CELA. She is certified by the ABA approved Natonal Elder Law Foundation and has years of experience offering clients in Ocean and Monmouth counties the legal counsel they need to plan ahead for their future or the future of their loved ones work through difficult situations.

10 Medical Professionals Newer Cancer Diagnostics And Their Impact On Cancer Treatment

Dr. Apurv Agrawal

Oncologists need detailed information on a patient’s cancer prior to creating an effective treatment plan. Traditionally this information has included pathology, which is typically obtained from results of a biopsy on a patient’s tumor. Additionally, CT scans and/or PET scans provide details as to the extent and distribution of a patient’s cancer. This testing remains vital to cancer care.

More recently cancer biomarkers have become very important to developing treatment plans for patients.

Cancer biomarkers are typically proteins, genes, and other molecules that play a role in growth and multiplication of cancer cells. When medically appropriate, comprehensive tumor profiling to identify biomarkers present on a patient’s cancer/tumor can be performed. This testing can be performed on the tumor sample itself and, in some cases, on a patient’s blood or urine sample. By doing so we are able to offer our patients “personalized cancer care” and choose treatments that will target biomarkers that are present on their specific cancer cells. This targeted approach helps us to develop individual, cancer-specific treatment plans for our patients. These results can help us decide which treatments would offer benefit over an alternate treatment and sometimes identify treatments that may not have been considered otherwise. Additionally, knowledge of specific biomarkers can aid in identifying clinical trials that may be available.

There has been an increase in development of targeted cancer therapies. Targeted cancer therapies are drugs that slow or stop the growth of cancer by blocking or inactivating specific molecules that are involved in the growth of cancer cells. Targeted cancer therapies are different than chemotherapy. Targeted therapies act specifically on molecular targets, whereas chemotherapy acts on all rapidly dividing normal and cancerous cells. Targeted therapies block tumor growth or spread, whereas chemotherapy is designed to destroy cancer cells. In some cases chemotherapy and targeted therapies are used together to fight cancer.

Examples of targeted therapies include hormone therapies; modulation of the expression of cancer genes; angiogenesis inhibitors, which block the blood New Jersey Hematology Oncology Associates supply of tumors; immunotherapies, which trigger the immune system to destroy cancer cells; and monoclonal Girish Amin, M.D. antibodies, which stick to their target on the cancer and destroy it. Apurv Agrawal, M.D.

In some patients hereditary cancer screening can also Jayne Pavlak-Schenk, D.O. be useful in creating a treatment plan. Sometimes this can be done in conjunction with molecular profiling of tumors. There are now cancer treatments available Randi Katz, D.O. Sara Kovaly, A.P.N that can be beneficial in patients with certain hereditary cancer markers. Brick • 1608 Route 88 West, Suite 250 • (732) 840-8880 Targeted therapies are a very effective addition to an oncologist’s armamentarium in cancer care. Toms River • 508 Lakehurst Rd., Suite 1-B • (732) 244-1440 Whiting • 63D lacey Rd. • (732) 206-6226 For more information, call 732-840-8880 or visit www.NJHOA.com. Neptune • 19 Davis Ave. • (732) 206-6226 Fax • (732) 840-3939 • www.NJHOA.com Exceptional Care Without Exception