28 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MARCH 2020
NONPROFIT EVENTS
‘DO THIS’ FOR A CAUSE
CANCER CAN ROCK
Rock out against cancer with Revel 9,
Etherius, Adam and the Metal Hawks,
and Black Dawn. Revolution Bar and
Music Hall, 140 Merrick Rd., Amityville,
revolutionliny.com $15-$20.
1 p.m. Mar. 15.
THE BLUES BARN BURNER
The lineup for this night full of benevolent
blues includes The Kane Daily
Band, Harmonica Bill & Marked Deck,
and the Foster Europe Band. More TBA.
All proceeds donated to Suff olk County
Home Front. 89 North Music Venue, 89
North Ocean Ave., Patchogue, 89northmusic.
com $10. 3 p.m. Mar. 22.
CHEFS OF LONG ISLAND
This food and beverage tasting event
featuring more than 50 of the area’s
most prestigious restaurants and
beverage providers benefits the
nonprofit Life’s WORC, which was
founded by Victoria Schneps-Yunis,
president of Schneps Media, the
parent company of the Long Island
Press. The Carltun at Eisenhower
Park, 1899 Hempstead Tpke., East
Meadow, lifesworc.org $50-$100.
7:30 p.m. Mar. 23.
EAT. BID. LAUGH!
The highly anticipated auction and
epicurean fundraiser for the Sid
Jacobson JCC will feature an impressive
variety of savory and sweet
tastings, a performance by comedian
Iliza Shlesinger, and extensive silent
auction prizes. Fresh Meadow Country
Club, 255 Lakeville Rd., Lake Success,
eatbidlaugh.org $250-$5,000. 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 26.
MC MORRIS MEMORIAL
WALKATHON
The Andrew McMorris Memorial
Walkathon and 5K Run will is named
aft er Boy Scout Andrew McMorris,
who was killed by a drunken driver,
while hiking the Greenbelt Trail with
his Boy Scout Troop 161 in September
2018. The event will raise the funds
needed to complete the McMorris
Lodge which is under construction at
Baiting Hollow Scout Camp in memory
of Andrew Mc Morris. Baiting
Hollow Scout Camp, 1774 Sound Avenue,
Calverton, sccbsa.org/walk2020
9 a.m. Mar. 28.
MYSTERY BY DESIGN
The Designers + Builders Alliance
of Long Island is hosting this gala to
celebrate the outstanding creative
and charitable contributions of those
in the design and building industries
while raising essential funds for the
nonprofi t Kids Need More, which assists
children with cancer. Crest Hollow
Country Club, 8325 Jericho Tpke.,
Woodbury, kidsneedmore.org $175.
6 p.m. Mar. 30.
WOUNDED WARRIOR
PROJECT FUNDRAISER
Dance lessons, raffl es, and country cover
bands Stagecoach and Urban Rodeo.
89 North Music Venue, 89 North Ocean
Ave., Patchogue, 89northmusic.com
$20. 2 p.m. Apr. 5.
PRESS BUSINESS
A vendor with Dolce and Gelato doles
out a sample at the 2019 Chefs of
Long Island tasting event.
The Risks of Hoarding Within The Elderly Population
By Ronald A. Fatoullah, Esq. and Eva Schwechter, Esq.
Many elderly individuals manage to amass
collections of prized possession over the course
of their lives. However, it is important to note
the difference between amassing possessions and
hoarding. The former is a positive thing; many
people have a sentimental attachment to their assets,
and want to leave specific gifts of these objects to
their loved ones after they pass. The latter is a
problem that affects many in the elderly population
in a variety of ways.
First and foremost, hoarding is a safety hazard.
People who hoard to an extreme level cannot
safely navigate their living spaces. For an elderly
person, clear pathways, accessible doorways, and
uncluttered cooktops are paramount to ensure a
safe living environment. Uneven floors and pathways,
rotting food and blocked exists put the elderly
individual in constant danger in his own home. The
inability to safely live at home may cause an elderly
person to be removed from his home against his will,
possibly to a hospital or nursing home.
Another negative ramification of hoarding is the
possibility of a guardianship action being taken. In
the event that a person cannot adequately and safely
manage his personal needs and property management
due to his hoarding tendencies, a hospital, nursing
home or Adult Protective Services (among others) can
initiate a guardianship proceeding. This proceeding
entails petitioning the court to have a guardian
appointed to make personal needs and property
management decisions for the individual. Although
it is not guaranteed that a guardian will be appointed in
the case of a hoarder, the guardianship process can be
long, draining, and costly. Maintaining an appropriate
living space can avoid the need to go to court to attempt
to prove one’s competence in managing one’s affairs.
Additionally, hoarding can mean an inability to
access necessary assistance in the form of home health
care aides. Many aide services, including Medicaid,
require that an aide who is attending a client for a
certain number of hours have a designated bedroom
to sleep in. Additionally, an agency will not allow its
aides to work in a home that is not in accordance
with safety regulations. An elderly person who is
in need of a home health aide is putting herself
in danger by not having a home that can safely
accommodate that aide.
Hoarding is a serious issue that affects numerous
people, many of whom are elderly. The risks that
accompany hoarding are especially dangerous for
an elderly person. It is important to consult an elder
care attorney to consider whether a family member
or loved one is receiving the appropriate level of
care and assistance, and whether that individual is
being negatively impacted by hoarding.
Ronald A. Fatoullah, Esq. is the founder of Ronald
Fatoullah & Associates, a law firm that concentrates
in elder law, estate planning, Medicaid planning,
guardianships, estate administration, trusts, wills, and
real estate. Eva Schwechter is an elder law attorney with
the firm. The law firm can be reached at 516-466-4422,
or toll free at 1-877-ELDER-LAW or 1-877-ESTATES.
Mr. Fatoullah is also a partner advisor with Advice
Period, a wealth management firm that provides a
continuum of financial and investment advice for
individuals and businesses, and he can be reached at
424-256-7273.
/eatbidlaugh.org
/revolutionliny.com
/lifesworc.org
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/walk2020
/kidsneedmore.org
/89northmusic.com
