April 2017 – BIRMINGHAM, AL – Alabama Family Trust has been selected to receive the Alabama Gerontological Society’s 2016 Organization Award at their 36th Annual Conference for Alabama Family Trust’s commitment to improving the quality of life for older Alabamians.
Alabama Family Trust is a pooled special needs nonprofit 501(c)3 trust established by the state in 1994 to invest and protect assets of individuals with disabilities, including the elderly. Alabama Family Trust allows families to protect assets in a pooled special needs trust and enable their disabled senior to be eligible for Medicaid benefits. Once qualified, Medicaid would pay for long-term care in a skilled nursing home or for caregivers at home while the assets put in trust can then be used to pay for needed services or items not covered by Medicaid.
Alabama Family Trust is based in Vestavia Hills and is led by former Executive Director Melanie B. Holliman. She accepted the AGS award along with Doug Marshall, former CFO and Director of Community Relations on April 19 at the Pelham Civic Complex.
Mary Bess Price, President of AGS, said “We fully endorse the Alabama Family Trust to caregivers with elderly loved ones across Alabama as the assets held in trust are able to improve their overall quality of life. Further, Alabama Family Trust is able to protect that person from financial exploitation or fraud from people that would otherwise prey on the elderly.”
Alabama Family Trust was nominated by Dr. Daniel Potts, attending neurologist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tuscaloosa and champion for life-affirming care for those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
“It was an honor to nominate the Alabama Family Trust for the Alabama Gerontological Society Award,” Potts said. “I can’t think of an organization in our state that sets a better example for creating a culture of compassion in caring for the elderly and disabled.”
Alabama Family Trust has experienced tremendous growth in the last year. In 2016, AFT grew its active trusts, added Laura Jenkins from Scottsboro as its new staff attorney and trust specialist, along with other staff and launched plans to serve more seniors in Alabama and soon across the country. Alabama Family Trust has a concentrated awareness campaign to share with the public what it does and that outreach helped it grow to over 600 active trusts with a market value of $24.5 million. The average trust is $40,000, but the minimum to set up a trust is only $1,500.
“Alabama Family Trust focuses on and is compassionate about offering families with disabilities a progressive way to financially support their loved ones,” said Holliman. “Alabama Family Trust is truly a special organization, perhaps the best kept secret in Alabama because we only serve those with special needs.”
More information about Alabama Family Trust can be found on their website, www.alabamafamilytrust.com.
ABOUT ALABAMA GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY
The Alabama Gerontological Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization in Montgomery devoted to improving the wellbeing of older persons throughout Alabama. AGS brings together individuals, service providers, educators, policy makers, students, and other individuals and groups who work in the area of aging or who have an interest in and concern for Alabama’s elderly. A major purpose is to ensure that older individuals have the opportunity to be full participating members of society with all the rights, privileges, benefits and responsibilities that pertain.