Elder Care Law
From asset preservation and protection, to life care planning, through estate planning and administration, the Firm provides a full array of elder care law services.
Asset Preservation
“Long term nursing home care’s” staggeringly expensive costs often wipe out a family’s finances. The Firm creates a plan enabling an elderly family member to enter a nursing home while preserving the family’s assets and drafts estate planning documentation including wills, living wills, trusts, general durable powers of attorney, advanced medical directives, and care agreements.
Estate Planning and Administration
Estate planning’s core requires examining both a client’s to-be-transferred-after-death-assets and how his affairs will be managed if he becomes incapacitated. Because each individual’s needs differ, before preparing a will the Firm delves into the client’s financial background to minimize and delay taxes along with a variety of planning techniques including creating trusts, living wills, and powers of attorney. Similarly, the Firm represents executors or trustees tasked with administering the estate of one who has died including assisting with filing of court documents and tax returns and distributing assets in accordance with the will’s provisions.
Guardianship
Dementia from Alzheimer’s and other illnesses often rob of the ability to manage money, handle personal affairs, and deal with daily living tasks. For those lacking a durable power of attorney, the Firm establishes guardianships to protect and provide for incapacitated adults and developmentally disabled family members.
Life Care Planning
To most fully live out life’s later stages, the Firm helps develop and implement a “Life Care Plan” addressing:
- What health, chronic, and long-term care services are available whether in one’s own home or a residential community or assisted-living;
- How will financial and health care decisions be made if you’re unable and on whom may you rely to make the right decisions for you;
- If unable to care for myself, how do I ensure my spouse continues to have a high quality of life; and
- Must I spend all of my money on care (whether in my home or residential care facility) and how can I protect assets to care for my spouse, ensure that I get good care, or leave to my children.
