Elder law is a field of law that encompasses many different areas of law. The National Association of Elder Law Attorneys lists forty areas of law that encompass the field of elder law. We have access to a wide variety of sub-specialists within the field who we work along with to assist you with your legal needs.

Nursing Home /Assisted Living/Independent Living

Peace of mind is one of the main goals when thinking about living arrangements for yourself or a loved one. There are many different living settings available depending upon your needs. When loved ones have reached the point where they cannot take care of themselves any longer, another person must begin to make decisions for them. This can be a very stressful time for everyone involved. The older individuals are not used to relying on others for their needs. The family member wants to do the best for them, but usually does not know where to begin. Our office will be pleased to assist you in sorting out the various options.

Living Plan.

Linda K. met with Debra advising that her father was no longer able to take care of himself in his home. Linda and Debra spoke about whether her father could remain in his home or needed to go into a nursing home or personal care facility. Linda was given information about the different living arrangement options available. After much thought Linda felt that the best option was to place her father in a nursing home. Debra assisted Linda in filling out the nursing home agreement and other financial documents to make sure that she was treated fairly.

Living Plan.

Barbara and Jeff M. met with Debra. They wanted to move into a continuous care community. They were interested in moving into a retirement community in which they would pay an up-front fee and then a monthly fee. They wanted this type of community because in the event either of them needed nursing home level care in the future, it would be available in the same community. They viewed many places. Debra assisted them and reviewed all their contracts.

Guardianship.

John and Cindy H. who live in Pennsylvania came to see Debra recently because John's mother Alice has been unable to care for herself or her finances. John did not know what to do. Debra had John obtain a psychological evaluation to determine if his mother was incapacitated. John brought his mother to a geriatric psychiatrist for evaluation. That evaluation showed that Alice had dementia. Because Alice had never executed financial or health care power of attorney, John now needed to become her guardian in order for him to take care of her personal and financial needs. Debra prepared a guardianship petition and filed it with the court. After a hearing before a judge, Alice was deemed incapacitated and John was appointed her guardian.

Medicaid Planning.

Fred and Ann G. were afraid that in the event Fred needed to go into a nursing home, all their lifetime savings would be used to pay for Fred's nursing home care. They were concerned because Fred had been diagnosed with early signs of dementia. They did not have enough money to pay the nursing home from dividends and interest income. Fred and Ann met with Debra and brought a list of their assets with them. Debra explained to them that to obtain a nursing home medicaid grant, a person must reduce their financial resources to approximately $2,400 depending upon the laws of the state where that person resides. Depending upon the laws of that state, a person can keep certain assets in the event he or she goes into a nursing home. A plan was created to address their concerns.