15 Ways an Elder Law Attorney Can Help You

Planning for the future can seem impossible when facing so many unknown variables. From wondering if or when you or a loved one will need caregiving to worrying about affording long-term care, many people find themselves overwhelmed and afraid of the burden these uncertainties may create. By planning for the future, you can protect yourself, your spouse and other loved ones – especially if the plan is written into legally binding documents that guide caregivers and family members when navigating difficult situations and making tough choices about medical care and finances.

According to the Administration for Community Living, there is a 69% chance of seniors over the age of 65 needing long-term care, whether at home, in assisted living or in a nursing home. Seniors transferring into long-term care may qualify for government assistance, and planning can help retain assets for a spouse or loved one. Resources also exist to provide financial assistance for paid family caregiving in many states.

An elder care attorney can be an invaluable resource while planning and will guide you and your loved ones through the laws to protect and preserve a senior’s legal rights. Finding good legal assistance can be difficult, but the information in this guide can help you understand when to speak to an elder care attorney, how they can help and how to choose the right one.

An elder care attorney, often called an elder law attorney, is a lawyer whose area of expertise is in understanding aspects of the law that are unique to the elderly. The American Bar Association uses elder law as a term for attorneys specializing in 12 areas of practice concerning seniors. Some areas elder law attorneys can assist with include:

• Estate planning and drafting wills
• Qualifying for government assistance
• Grandparent rights
• Fraud or elder abuse
• Discrimination

Consulting with an elder law attorney can provide seniors with insight into their rights and how best to protect themselves as they age. They can also provide caregivers with comprehensive information and ensure that a senior’s needs are met.

Here are 15 ways that elder care attorneys can help caregivers, seniors and their loved ones.

An estate is the total of the assets and liabilities an individual has at the time of their death. Planning an estate in advance can save family members time and energy while also dictating who inherits what. An elder care attorney can help with planning an estate by:

• Creating an estate plan and will specific to a senior’s situation, family and desires, including dictating the execution process
• Advising seniors and caregivers on handling a complex estate with many assets
• Ensuring an estate plan is legally valid and binding without room for disputes
• Clarifying tax liabilities loved ones may inherit as part of an estate
• Revisiting an estate plan every 3-5 years to revise it as necessary

A living trust grants a designated trustee power to manage specified assets within a trust and distribute them to beneficiaries when the grantor (the person who created the trust) passes away. An elder care attorney can help create a living trust by:

• Creating a legally binding document detailing the distribution of assets
• Designating a trustee and detailing explicit instructions with no room for inaccurate interpretation
• Clarifying the different types of living trusts (revocable and irrevocable) and determining the right one for each situation

If a senior needs long-term care but still has a spouse to consider, an elder law attorney can guide them and a caregiver through the process of legally transferring and preserving assets. Different programs may have different regulations about which assets can be protected, transferred and preserved between married couples, ensuring the one who does not need care doesn’t lose their assets.

Some seniors choose to preemptively pay a lump sum for compensation to a caregiver for future care. This can help reduce the size of a senior’s estate and potentially allow them to qualify for Medicaid or other programs. An elder law attorney knows local laws and can structure the agreement so it doesn’t count as a penalized transfer when applying for assistance. Additionally, care agreements can safeguard caregivers by ensuring that financial incentives are distributed fairly among all adult children and caregivers who provide care and support.

Seniors with conditions that impact cognition may not be able to make sound decisions about their care. Before losing the ability to make those decisions, seniors can assign a durable power of attorney, which will grant a caregiver the ability to make financial or medical decisions for their loved one.

Seniors of sound mind can also benefit from having a durable power of attorney drafted to apply in the event that they become incapacitated. An elder care attorney can guide caregivers and seniors through this process and ensure end-of-life and health care decisions are legally planned in advance.

A caregiver may seek guardianship over a senior loved one because they believe that the senior no longer has the mental or physical ability to make their own decisions or manage their own care. When a caregiver’s loved one resists signing over power of attorney willingly, caregivers may seek guardianship through the courts. This process can be strenuous and involves several documents and tests to verify the need for guardianship. An elder care attorney can advise caregivers of the process, interact with the senior’s appointed attorney and assist the caregiver with the application and court process.

Unfortunately, seniors are easy targets for financial fraud, especially from unscrupulous adult family members who may see them as a quick source of easy income. Often, signs of financial exploitation are covert, such as tricking or encouraging seniors to sign forms that assign the abuser power of attorney or ownership of assets. Other signs may not be immediately obvious unless someone experienced searches for them, such as unusual transactions and transfers or bills going unpaid. An elder care attorney can help prevent and combat financial exploitation by:

• Identifying potential red flags for financial abuse
• Explaining how to protect assets
• Reporting any potentially fraudulent or criminal activity to the correct authorities
• Assisting with a lawsuit to recover stolen assets

Sometimes, familial conflicts can cause rifts between seniors and their adult children, resulting in estrangement from grandchildren. Family courts offer a venue for estranged grandparents to seek court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren. An elder law attorney knows the local laws on grandparents’ rights to access a child, how to argue a case and whether an individual qualifies for visitation from a legal standpoint. They can assist seniors and their caregivers by:

• Filing a petition for visitation with estranged grandchildren
• Representing seniors in family court

Seniors with the means to afford their own private long-term care insurance rarely qualify for Medicaid or other assistance programs. However, some of these insurance plans can be prohibitively expensive and may not be the right decision depending on a senior’s financial situation. An elder law attorney can guide seniors and caregivers through their insurance options and advise them accordingly.

The right long-term care plan is different for every senior. They depend on several factors, such as what kind of care is needed and what can be afforded. Elder law attorneys can provide assistance with the planning process by:

• Discussing options objectively
• Identifying the best steps to protect assets and spouses when facing the expenses of long-term care
• Creating a plan for potential disabilities in the future, even if they aren’t a concern now

Both state and federal governments offer qualifying seniors assistance for long-term care, health care and similar services. These programs often have several eligibility requirements that can be difficult to understand without expert help. An elder care attorney can guide seniors and their loved ones through the application process. They can also offer advice on how assets may affect eligibility and which waivers seniors may qualify for. Some programs that elder care attorneys can help seniors apply to include:

• Medicaid
• Medicare
• Social Security
• Supplemental Security Income

Sometimes, seniors may be denied government assistance, especially if they didn’t meet income eligibility, had recent asset transfers or were missing important paperwork. However, a denial from these programs can be overturned through an appeals process that may include a formal hearing to prove eligibility. Elder law attorneys can help navigate the appeals process by identifying the reason for denial, gathering the necessary information and proving eligibility.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs offers eligible individuals several benefits, including access to health care and pensions. This may cover long-term care, nursing care and home-based and community services. An elder law attorney can help seniors and caregivers navigate the programs, apply and potentially appeal denials if necessary.

When families span generations, situations such as estate planning can often grow complex. This is especially true in the event that members of a family divorce and remarry, bringing additional people into the family tree. Blended families can bring questions about estates, who inherits property and who is responsible for caregiving. An elder law attorney can assist in mediating familial disputes and preventing escalations, such as estate disputes. They can also ensure that the estate plan is up-to-date to reflect a new spouse if a senior or beneficiaries have remarried.

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 60 experiences elder abuse, but only 1 in 24 is ever reported. This is often due to factors such as a senior’s fear of retaliation, being dependent on the abuser or an inability to report. 

If you or a loved one is experiencing or suspects elder abuse, fraud or neglect, an elder care attorney can help create an action plan to remedy the situation and prevent further issues.

Choosing an elder law attorney is integral to estate planning and protecting a senior’s legal rights. Doing ample research is key to finding the right one for your family’s situation and can lead you to the right attorney. This includes looking into reviews, hearing other people’s experiences and learning the attorney’s legal strategies before retaining them.

Below, we explain some of the traits of a good elder law attorney and what those traits look like in practice. 

Specialization in Elder Law

• They exclusively practice elder law
• They are a certified elder law attorney
• They can answer your elder law questions
• They are up-to-date on new elder law legislation

Politeness

• They treat you with respect, regardless of the situation
• They respect your wishes and plans

Promptness

• They respond to you shortly after you reach out
• They’re on time for your appointments or hearings

Thoroughness

• They fill out all paperwork correctly
• They make sure you understand all the legal concepts
• They walk you through all of your options

Candidness

• They’re up-front about their fees
• They’re honest about the chances of success in lawsuits and appeals
• They do not work around the law

Good Reputation

• They have great reviews online
• People say good things about them in person
• They’re members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) or National Elder Law Foundation (NELF)

Before your search begins, list out legal concerns and services you may need to help choose the right attorney. This can include topics such as:

• Transferring and preserving assets for a spouse before entering long-term care
• Planning an estate and how assets will be divided
• Preparing trusts for family members to inherit
• Planning end-of-life care and who will be the Power of Attorney
• Filing for Medicare, Medicaid or disability benefits
• Caregivers filing for guardianship over a senior loved one

To begin searching, identify elder law attorneys in your area with directories, such as the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys or the National Elder Law Foundation. These organizations provide directories of experienced elder law attorneys for seniors and caregivers seeking legal representation.

Once you have a list of elder law attorneys in your area, begin researching them. Identify attorneys who specialize in the legal areas you need most. Research reviews online and keep the attorneys with the most positive reviews on your short list.

If you know people who have worked with elder law attorneys, ask them for referrals and about their experiences. Those who were satisfied with their representation will likely refer you to their attorney, while less satisfied people will probably warn you to steer clear.

During a consultation, caregivers and seniors can get to know an attorney, discuss legal needs and determine if they are a good fit. Generally, you should try to meet with between three and five attorneys before deciding. This is the perfect time to ask questions about their processes, experience with and opinions on your legal needs and other similar concerns that may arise.

During a consultation, make sure you bring all pertinent information, such as:

• Documentation of all income sources, assets, retirement statements and bank accounts
• Documentation of all debts
• Insurance policies (life, health, disability, long-term care and any other policies you may hold)
• Any previous estate planning documents

After consulting with several attorneys, it’s time to decide which one best suits your needs. Each attorney will have their own approach to the legal system and their profession, and choosing the one that clicks with you can often be a great deciding factor between two top-notch options.