What is Elder Law?
Elder Law involves working with seniors on estate planning, incapacity issues, elder abuse issues, and planning for long-term care. Guardianships and Conservatorships can be used to protect disabled individuals. Planning for long-term care is important because home health care, assisted living care, or skilled nursing care can wipe out a family’s savings fairly quickly. Families often looks to proper estate planning and VA benefit planning to assist with these costs.
Planning Myths
So many times clients come to our office under the mistaken impression that there is nothing that can be done to protect assets from nursing home costs. Fortunately much of the circulating consumer knowledge is false or misinterpreted. With the help of an experienced Elder Law attorney, many of the assets you have spent a lifetime accumulating can be protected from high nursing home expenses.
Asset Protection Strategies
Although with the recent passage of the Deficit Reduction Act, increased restrictions affect the use of some techniques, other asset protection strategies remain viable, especially for married couples where one spouse requires long-term care. Some of these techniques may include making gifts to family members, using annuities and paying for certain expenses.
Whether you are facing long-term care issues yourself or you have a family member who is, we encourage you to call with your questions or ask us for a free report. Be sure to call sooner rather than later because the timing of the decisions families need to make has a dramatic impact on whether or not someone can actually qualify for this type of support.
Caring for the elderly and ensuring their assets are protected are some of the primary services offered by our law firm.