Elder law is the specified law field that tackles the legal needs of seniors or the aging population. This law has it focus on the legal problems plaguing baby boomers and their aging parents. Lawyers who are conversant with this type of law are widely regarded as elder law attorneys.
There are several legal services that can be of great help to seniors and their families. The following areas of law applies to the needs of seniors and should be handled by a competent elder law attorney:
- Estate Planning
- Health care planning
- Long-term care planning
- Guardianship
The abovementioned categories of legal processes can be designed to meet the needs of the senior in question. However, this is best done with the help of an elder law attorney Buffalo, NY. So don’t hesitate to get one!
How does this law Works?
Legal problems plaguing the aging population are usually governed by hard regulations and laws that are different in all states. For instance, the elder law that governs seniors in Buffalo, NY, is very different from the elder law that governs seniors in California, and so on.
Elder law are many-sided, always requiring a good knowledge of the personal effects of aging, which can make an individual more financially, physically, and socially prone. Elder law tackles the many life choices and circumstances that arise at this period of time as well as how your estate plan will be executed after your demise.
Elder law attorneys, who are vast in this kind of task, usually adopt a holistic approach when working with seniors and their family members, helping them handle those complicated legal matters along with a connection of experts like health and social workers, including psychologists.
Who can an Elder Lawyer Attorney Buffalo, NY do for you?
There are a lot of people out there who believe that elder law is all about drafting wills and trusts. Of course, a will and a trust are two significant documents of an estate plan or elder law. However, elder law is more than that. You see, elder law is a special area of law that includes representing and advising seniors including their families with several legal issues that are particular to seniors and individuals with special needs.
Below are what an elder law attorney Buffalo, NY, can help you with:
- Estate planning
- Medicaid planning and the protection of your assets
- Long-term care planning
- Questions regarding Social Security, Veteran’s benefits and Medicare/Medicaid
- Health care needs planning that involves health care proxy including other advance directives
- Elder abuse recognition, reporting and prevention
Elder law is not only for elders with complex life situations
A lot of individuals wrongly believe that elder law is designed for individuals with challenging life problems like disability or special need. Though elder law is very important to seniors when they find themselves in such circumstances, it is very important for all seniors to get familiar with elder law and hire an elder lawyer Buffalo, NY, when the need comes to safeguard themselves and their assets from what may happen to them as their life winds up.
For instance, let us assume that your health is diminishing or you expect it to as you get older. You can hire an elder law attorney Long Island who is an expert in disability planning to complete an advance medical directive with a durable power of attorney (POA) for health care. A durable power of attorney for healthcare gives you the opportunity to select an individual who will make those medical decisions on your behalf. Doing so can eliminate the need to hire expensive health care providers to later administer treatments or make other choices regarding your health hat you may not like.
How do you choose an Elder Law Attorney?
There are a lot of self-professed elder law attorneys out there. However, if you want your interests to be protected, you will need to hire the best.
A certified elder law attorney must (CELA) must have practiced elder law for a certain number of hours weekly for a certain number of years and taken part on a required number of continuing education, according to National Elder Law Foundation (NELF).
Search the National Elder Law Foundation or the NAELA to locate a certified elder law attorney in Buffalo, NY.
