Why an Elder Law Specialist Is Best for Your Parents

Elder law attorneys can provide the best financial and estate planning solutions for your loved ones.

If you are responsible for elderly parents or relatives, you already know you have many issues to consider. Hiring an elder law attorney —a person that specializes in the laws concerning seniors—is a smart move for you and for them. If your relative has considerable assets or complicated financial issues, you need the services of an elder law attorney: an expert who knows about estate planning, living trusts, nursing home issues, and probate. All of these issues can be handled by an elder law specialist.

Making a Will

An elder law attorney helps seniors plan their wills. Often this means selecting a power of attorney who acts in your place for financial purposes. An attorney can help you with problems that arise from appointing a power of attorney with financial institutions. A planned will details who will acquire what property and money when you die. The will can include bank accounts, IRAs, property, jewelry, and expensive collections. A complicated binding document like this demands the expertise of an estate planning attorney.

Setting Up a Trust

An elder law attorney can help seniors with different types of trusts used to manage their assets. For example, there are revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, and supplemental needs trusts. Each one has a different purpose and reason for being formed. An elder attorney will know all the ins and outs to select the best trust for you or your relative.

Elder Law Issues

An elder law attorney lawyer is qualified to help you with any number of important issues. Some of these include disability planning, long-term health care decisions, nursing home issues, Medicaid, Medicare, and even at-home care. A Massachusetts estate planning attorney is always ready to help the elderly find the best way to plan their estates. Estate planning is a complex legal issue that only a good Massachusetts estate planning lawyer can handle.

Nursing Home Transition

Do you have an elderly relative who has to go into a nursing home? An elder law attorney is qualified to help you assess your financial situation and interpret the many laws that apply. Arranging nursing home care is a complicated and confusing issue to tackle alone. A good elder law attorney can help your family keep some of their money while still giving your relative high quality care. A lawyer can help you with Medicare, insurance plans, and Medicaid—all ways of paying for long-term health care.

An elder law attorney can help you decide where your elderly relatives will live. An assisted living community may be a better option than a nursing home, or perhaps your elderly relatives just need some help to live in their own home.

Probate Issues

Do you want to tackle the probate issue that come up when an elderly relative dies? An elder law attorney has probate experience that can help you plan for this process. You can make a will ahead of time, so it is available when probate occurs. Often in probate a will is examined and property is appraised. Some property can avoid probate—this is why a good probate attorney should advise you of the issues at hand.

When seeking sound financial planning for an elderly relative or friend in Massachusetts, contact an elder law attorney to help you with the complex laws and issues that can make this process difficult. You’ll be happy you did, and your relatives will be glad you took the time to find them the best solutions for their financial and legal plans.