By Bill Gelfeld, President, Comfort Home Care
The later years of your life should be the best years of your life. You have worked hard for decades and now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of all your labor. Yet during this special season, certain problems are bound to arise. It’s a fact of life—with age we begin to face new challenges that were non-issues in our younger years. Hiring an elder care attorney can help ease the stress of dealing with these later life issues by planning for them in advance. Here are some tips.
How an elder care attorney will help you
An elder care attorney will help you deal with real life issues that may occur as you and your spouse continue to age. While some people wait to deal with issues as they arise, an elder care attorney will help make sure you are prepared in advance for what is to come. This allows you to live the rest of your life with fewer worries about the future. They can help you achieve this peace of mind by:
Setting up the legal framework to protect your financial assets — As you age, the manner in which your assets are distributed and protected should best serve your individual needs. Legacy and estate planning Proper planning will ensure that your wishes are clearly articulated and properly executed after your passing.
Trust and probate administration — After your passing, your attorney can administer your estate to help ensure it is handled in the manner you set forth during the planning process.
As they assist in planning for your future, your elder care attorney will take into consideration the health of you and your spouse, the potential need for eventual nursing home or other long term care, and the wishes of you and your family.
The overall goal of an elder care attorney is a simple one—to protect your finances and your desires as health diminishes with age. It is inevitable, so why not enlist the aid of someone who can get you prepared before it is too late?
Tips for hiring an elder care attorney
Think you can benefit from hiring an elder care attorney? Here are a few things to look out for to make sure you hire the right person for the job:
- Experience — When hiring any sort of attorney, you want to make sure they have been practicing law for a long time. However, when hiring an elder care attorney, you need to know that he has many years of experience under his belt dealing specifically with senior care issues. This specialization will ensure that your desires are executed properly.
- Affiliations and certifications — How can you truly know if an attorney is competent in dealing with elder care issues? Look at his affiliations. One indicator would be membership in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. You also want to make sure he is certified by the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF).
- Client testimonials — If an elder care attorney is good at what he does, you shouldn’t have to search far to find positive customer testimonials online. And likewise, if the lawyer does not have a good track record, a quick Google search should provide plenty of feedback proving just that.
Find an elder care attorney now
Whether you are planning for you and your spouse’s future or you are looking out for the best interest of your parents, you could benefit from finding an elder care attorney. Keep the above tips in mind and search carefully to find the correct advocate for your individual situation.
Comfort Home Care works with several knowledgeable elder care and estate planning attorneys in the Metro area. For more information about elder care issues such as these, or for a referral, contact Bill Gelfeld of Comfort Home Care at 301-984-7681.
