What Can an Elder Law Attorney Do For You?
As Baby Boomers enter their senior years, the United States will experience what demographers call a “gray tsunami.”
Baby Boomers are the generation born between 1946 and 1964. By the latest U.S. Census estimates, they number about 70.4 million. Current projections from the U.S. Census Bureau show that all Baby Boomers will be older than age 65 by the year 2030.
The needs of Baby Boomers require more geriatric specialists, more caregivers, and more elder law attorneys. Senior citizens face a range of issues that emerge simply because of age. In the same way older Americans benefit from medical professionals who specialize in aging patients, an elder law attorney helps seniors navigate legal issues that only older Americans face.
An elder law attorney helps seniors plan wills, living trusts and estates, and navigate other legal matters. General practice attorneys can handle these tasks, too. But there are distinct differences in working with an attorney who has specialized training, knowledge, and expertise in elder law.
An Elder Law Attorney Focuses on the Legal Needs of Seniors
Elder attorneys specialize in handling legal matters for senior citizens. While general practice attorneys can also provide these services, they do not focus on a specific age group or population. Hiring an elder attorney means that seniors and their loved ones receive legal assistance that focuses on their particular needs.
An Elder Law Attorney Understands the Challenges of Aging
Seniors often have specific needs that differ from other age groups or physical or mental conditions that can cause difficulties or complexities. Elder attorneys have critical skills and experience to ensure that these factors are taken into consideration in order to provide seniors and their loved ones with the legal help they need. These attorneys can determine a client’s competency in making decisions based on physical or mental conditions, such as dementia or a terminal illness.
An Elder Law Attorney Understands Misconceptions About Aging
An elder attorney is familiar with misconceptions about the elderly and their ability to make important decisions. These attorneys are careful to dismiss these misconceptions in order to treat senior clients with respect and avoid making assumptions about their competence. This helps ensure that seniors’ wishes are respected in regards to their will, living trust or estate.
An Elder Law Attorney Takes a Holistic Approach to Legal Advice
An elder law attorney does more than prepare wills and estate plans. Attorneys who practice elder law are knowledgeable about other key issues that seniors deal with, such as long-term care, housing issues, financial security, and quality of life. These issues can have an impact on legal matters, making it important for them to be factored into legal decisions.
An experienced elder law attorney helps clients on a wide range of issues, including
- Estate planning and the use of power of attorney, will, and trusts
- Basic Social Security retirement planning
- Planning for Medicare, Medicaid, and veteran’s benefits
- Elder housing options
- Probate avoidance
- Planning for disability
- Health care proxies and advanced medical directives
- Wills
- Estate taxes
An Elder Law Attorney Is an Elder Care Resource
Elder law attorneys can usually provide additional assistance to seniors and their loved ones by recommending other types of elder care professionals that might be needed, such as psychologists or social workers. An estate planning attorney or living trust attorney who specializes in working with senior clients typically interacts with other elder care professionals while taking care of legal matters.
