Elder Law has been a recognized area of practice for over twenty-five years, but many estate planning practitioners are unfamiliar with the unique legal and financial issues facing seniors and elders when it comes to estate planning.
Making quick and uncoordinated legal, financial, and medical decisions can and often does produce unexpected and undesired results. Sadly, many good planning opportunities are lost this way.
Experienced Elder Law attorneys must have a strong working knowledge of estate planning as well as issues impacting seniors and elders and be able to apply legal, financial, and tax expertise to resolve these issues. Of equal importance is a practitioner’s developed base of non-legal resources that allows them to provide advice and counsel on a broad range of topics that are unique to seniors and elders.
An Elder Law attorney must also have an understanding of, and respect and empathy for, the physical and mental challenges that come with aging. They must be accustomed to working with various courts, government agencies, social workers, health care and financial professionals, and be able to coordinate the efforts of these providers to meet the client’s needs and desires.
An Elder Law attorney can provide assistance in these (and other) areas:
- Estate planning for all family members through the use of Wills, Trusts, and other legal documents
- Preservation of assets to avoid spousal impoverishment
- Planning for disabled family members
- Medicaid (Title 19) applications and appeals
- Medicare claims and appeals
- Nursing home issues: admission, transfer, discharge, patient rights, quality of care, and abuse
- Elder abuse and fraud recovery
- Personal injury, malpractice, and substandard care litigation
- Conservator and other court-appointed roles
- Real estate transactions, reverse annuity mortgages, and financing options
- Social security disability claims and appeals
- Retirement issues: public and private retirement plans, distribution planning, survivor benefits, and pension benefits
- Housing issues: continuing care communities, assisted living, retirement communities, life care facilities, nursing homes, rest homes, and congregate housing
- Probate and Estate administration
- Long-term care planning and health insurance issues
Disclaimer – The information provided on this site is for general information purposes only and is not to be used in place of legal advice. You should not act or rely upon this information without seeking the advice of an attorney. Information provided or contact made by you to our office does not establish an attorney-client relationship and any information you convey is not privileged until our office has been retained.
No part of this website or its contents may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, other than for personal use, without prior written approval.