What support can be provided to families with HD?
Because HD usually occurs during an individuals years of parenting and wage earning, it can have devastating effects on entire families. Thus, counseling, assistance, and referrals in regards to vital family issues are extremely important. Areas of major concern early on include financial planning, health, life, and long-term care insurance, and obtaining assistance through employment disability. As the disease progresses, additional Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, caregiver support, planning for possible long-term care, and providing for eventual financial and health care supervision through advanced directives or custody proceedings become increasingly important. Proactively dealing with such issues are an important part of caring for HD families and extend from the physicians awareness of them, often to involve social workers or other counselors, community resources, health care attorneys, and support groups for HD families. Regional HD clinics, Huntington’s Disease Society of Am
