When people ask me what I do for a living, and I tell them I’m an elder law attorney, the usual reaction is a blank stare, a long pause, and something like “hmm, that’s … interesting.”
This response is not surprising. While many people have heard of estate planning (which, of course, I also practice), elder law is still a mystery to most. I’d like to demystify it here, with the help of a link to one of my videos.
In essence elder law focuses on helping seniors plan for the possibility of needing long-term care in the future. This can involve:
- Ensuring an elder receives adequate medical care should he or she become disabled or incapacitated
- Identifying the type of care best suited to an elder’s specific needs, preferably in the home (since most people prefer living at home for as long as possible), but also at an assisted living residence or nursing home
- Finding resources, both public and private, to pay for care. This involves protecting and “stretching out” an elder’s assets for as long as possible
- Ensuring an elder’s wishes will be carried out regarding the level of care he or she receives in an emergency
Here’s the link to the video I mentioned earlier.
It goes into greater detail about the topics I’ve covered here. It also discusses the difference between elder law and estate planning, how my planning process works, how I go about determining an elder’s specific needs, together with the public resources available to meet them, and more.
As always, I’m here to help you any and every way I can. Until next time, take care…
If I have created a plan for you and you are happy with it, the best compliment you can give me is to recommend my firm to family and friends. As you know, everyone should have an estate plan.