At What Age Should a Person Contact an Elder Law Attorney?

There is no specific age when you should reach out to an elder law attorney, but it’s ideal to start planning your affairs once you reach 60 years. 

At Schlessel Law, we generally advise seeking the services of an elder law attorney before you even need one. To maximize the benefits of retaining an elder law attorney, it’s important to start the planning process as soon as possible. 

Despite the practice’s name, elder law attorneys offer a wide range of services that can be helpful to all ages. Elder law attorneys are typically involved in estate and retirement planning, Medicaid planning, and guardianship cases, among others. 

Estate and Retirement Planning

When you think of an elder law attorney, the first thing that comes to mind is estate planning. Elder law attorneys can help in making sure your assets are protected for the benefit of you and your loved ones’. An elder law attorney can also help ensure that your preferred beneficiaries would receive the parts of your estate you want them to get. You can also assign the preferred executor of your estate to avoid the time-consuming probate process. Elder law attorneys can also help establish trusts that would make it possible for your estate to avoid estate taxes wherever applicable.

As part of estate planning, elder law attorneys can also help in planning for your retirement. Some elder law attorneys also offer business succession planning services which help make sure that any businesses you’ve established will pass to the right hands. 

Healthcare and Medicaid

As we age, the risk of developing life-threatening medical conditions increases. An elder law attorney can help make sure that your medical needs will be taken care of when the time comes that you cannot make decisions about your care. For this reason, it is essential to consult with an elder law attorney as soon as possible. The older we get, the higher the risk of losing the mental capacity to decide on our affairs due to health conditions.

With the help of an elder law attorney, you can also set up a health proxy who would make decisions about your medical care on your behalf. Elder law attorneys can assure clients that their preferences and best interests will be upheld if they cannot make decisions by themselves. This can happen when a client is in dire need of medical care or is incapacitated.

Without a prior appointed health proxy,  your family might be forced to make tough decisions about your medical care, not knowing what your preference would be in the situation. Should there be a disagreement stemming from a difference of opinion, the court may be forced to intervene.

If you need long-term care, an elder law attorney can help ensure that your assets are protected while ensuring you can avail of government assistance like Medicaid. Long-term care can be expensive and a drain on your finances. An experienced Medicaid planning attorney can help you avoid penalties on your ability to avail government aid and still retain some of your assets.

Guardianship

Parents with minor children want to make sure that their kids are well taken care of. Conversations about what would happen to our loved ones when we pass away are never easy but consulting with an elder law attorney may help. An elder law attorney can help reassure parents that someone they trust will look after their children through a guardianship process. 

Schlessel Law caters to clients in need of elder law services regardless of age. Seth Schlessel, our founding attorney, has dedicated his career to helping people plan their future. We take a careful look at your financial situation and provide you with a plan that best suits your needs.

Our elder law attorneys are available for a consultation and can let you know more about the services we provide. To schedule an appointment, fill out our online form or call us today.

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