The North Carolina Senior Citizens Association is sponsoring a free educational workshop May 18 on how people can protect their assets from nursing home and assisted living expenses and Medicaid "spend down."

"Participants will learn how recent changes in the law affect how you can legally protect and preserve your estate from the rising costs of nursing home and assisted-living expenses," said elder law attorney Jason Sutton, who will conduct the workshop.

That includes how to protect the family home, investments, life savings and other assets from nursing home and assisted living expenses.

Other issues on the agenda are how to reduce or eliminate your nursing home and assisted living expenses; how veterans and their spouses can qualify for up to $23,388 tax free benefits for nursing home and assisted living expenses; how to minimize or reduce the effects of the five-year "look-back" period;

What to do if a loved one is already diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, dementia or Parkinson's disease; how to get extra cash for the care of a family member in a nursing home; tax laws regarding long-term care; and the latest guidelines for Medicare and Medicaid planning.

"The best time to prepare for long-term care is before it is needed," Sutton said. "Advance planning is more important than ever. However, you still have options if a loved one is already receiving care at home or in a nursing home, and the government will not notify you of your eligibility. You must find out for yourself."

The workshop will be held at the Hampton Inn in Aberdeen at 200 Columbus Drive (behind Best Buy on U.S. 15-501), starting at 10 a.m. Reservations can be made by calling the 24-hour workshop hotline at (800) 621-4818.

The North Carolina Senior Citizens Association is a nonprofit statewide organization that was chartered by the state of North Carolina in 1977. For more information, call (910) 295-7373 extension 30.