When do you get an elder care lawyer?

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When do you get an elder care lawyer?

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JMC1031: You would retain an elder law attorney for a variety of reasons.

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Reply to Llamalover47

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I would say anyone at any age who hopes to live to be a senior adult should consult one now. This way the legal documents are written properly from the beginning and the attorney notify you of any law changes that would warrant an update. We probably would have saved a lot had we consulted one earlier... especially had it been the attorney we have now. Anybody with a law degree can create the documents for you but only elder and estate attorneys are up on the latest legal changes to be sure your interests are fully protected.

The reason I say this because anyone can find themselves in emergency situations at any age. My husband is 75 but was diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 40. We had to move into the senior mindset earlier than most and I would have had less stress had we planned sooner. He fell and broke his hip at 55 and our life totally changed overnight with him trying to rehab while dealing with Parkinson's. It is best to have things in motion before you have a crisis unless time and finances are without limits.

The decisions required to prepare and protect yourself in the event of a life changing emergency need to be considered before the event. Anyone can be in a serious car accident, have a stroke, cancer, or other chronic disease and lose their capabilities to sign legal documents and left at the mercy of others they might prefer not be involved. Bottom line... it is very difficult to go to an attorney's office while dealing with a serious health or financial issue. Without everything in place the family has to bear unnecessary consequences in the event of a death.

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Reply to KPWCSC

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KPWCSC, you are so right about getting an Elder Law Attorney or Estate Planning Attorney.

Long time ago, my parents had their Real Estate Attorney draw up a Will and Power of Attorney. The documents were now older than dirt and not very well written. The Will would have been a nightmare if I hadn't gotten my parents to use an Elder Law Attorney to re-write their Wills.

Plus their Power of Attorney was for each other. When Dad [90+] went to the hospital-911 for an illness, I wanted my Mom [90+] to come along as she was POA. She refused to go because she was now legally blind and was very hard of hearing. There was no secondary POA listed. So I met Dad at the hospital. I couldn't make any decisions for him, kept telling him I couldn't. Later I recommended that he and Mom update their POA and Wills.

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If you’re considering getting an elder care lawyer, you must a reason. So, make an appointment and put your mind at ease.

As Sir Francis Bacon said way back in 1597. “Knowledge is Power.”

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Reply to NeedHelpWithMom

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Better that you tell us your problem so we can refer you. You would get an attorney for any number of reasons, and may not need a specialist in elder care; in fact a Trust and Estate may be preferred for some problems. Bring us the issue and we can best suggest which expert you might need. Some can do with a Social Worker or a CPA, which would cost less.

Bring us short version of the problem and we will try to help.

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Reply to AlvaDeer

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I really don't feel anyone has to air all the details for their issues here. No one here can say which expert an OP ever needs even knowing all the details. It is a simple question that most of us could benefit by hearing about other's experiences using an elder attorney when it was helpful or even when it was not helpful. We did use a social worker which cost us less. She referred us to an attorney who took care of our documents the social worker suggested but we never heard from the attorney again after some laws changed. That attorney also never suggested a trust to help us prepare for medicaid or VA aid and attendance. I'm so glad we found the one we have because we are now past the three year look-back for VA and less than two years to go to pass the five year look-back for Medicaid. We are now in a better position to make better decisions going forward. A good elder attorney will answer questions you never knew you should be asking because they are most up to date with local laws and how they can affect you throughout your aging and dying process.

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JMC1031, welcome to the forum. We used an Elder Law Attorney to do our Power of Attorney, Will/Trust, Advanced Medical Directive, and any other legal document that is recommended by the Attorney.

Our Elder Law Attorney keeps us up-to-date with new State Laws that would require us to make changes to the legal documents. Without those up-dated changes, it could create quite a stir.

We found our Attorney right here on AgingCare. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on Elder Law Attorneys, scroll to the area where it asks for your City, and State. Our Attorney is from a large firm, and she has been outstanding.

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Reply to freqflyer

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When do you get an elder care lawyer?

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