A Houston Elder Law Attorney: Protecting Our Elderly Loved Ones
It can be difficult to know how to help our older family members. It can also be frustrating to see them being taken advantage of or exploited. An experienced elder law attorney can help protect your elderly family members’ rights and best interests. At Reekie Law PLLC, we understand the challenges families face when dealing with elder law issues. We help people in The Woodlands and throughout the Houston area with legal challenges that impact our elderly population.
Our firm is led by attorney Jennifer Reekie. As a family law attorney, she understands changing family dynamics. She has extensive experience helping families make important and difficult decisions as they navigate legal challenges. In addition, our lawyer provides one-on-one attention, and goes to great lengths to ensure her clients understand the process and all of the respective parts of their legal proceedings.
Understanding Legal Challenges That Impact The Elderly
Elder law encompasses a wide range of legal challenges that have an impact on older adults. An elder law attorney provides guidance and support through legal challenges that affect older adults. These issues can include:
- Estate planning: Our lawyer can help draft a will, create a trust and any other documents to help make sure assets are distributed according to their wishes.
- Advance health care directives: As part of a comprehensive estate plan, our elder law attorney can prepare documents such as medical powers of attorney and living wills to outline health care preferences if they become incapacitated.
- Long-term care planning: We can help make arrangements to establish housing, health care and secure financial support in the event of disability or chronic illness.
- Medicaid planning: Our elder law attorney can propose and implement strategies to help clients qualify for Medicaid benefits and cover long-term care costs.
- Guardianship: If an individual can no longer take care of themselves, our elder law attorney can help establish a guardianship.
- Elder abuse and exploitation: An elder law lawyer can help protect seniors from physical, emotional or financial harm by holding others accountable.
As people age, they may face challenges related to health care, finances and housing. An experienced elder law attorney can be instrumental in protecting the rights and well-being of elderly individuals.
What Is Medicaid Planning?
The goal of Medicaid planning is to help individuals qualify for Medicaid benefits and ultimately be able to cover the cost of long-term care. Medicaid planning involves implementing Medicaid spend down strategies. Because Medicaid has income and asset limitations, proper planning is essential. Medicaid planning can also involve strategies such as creating trusts, transferring assets or making other financial arrangements to meet Medicaid eligibility requirements.
How Can We Protect Our Elderly Family Members From Being Exploited Financially?
Financial exploitation of the elderly is a serious problem. However, there are several steps you can take to protect your loved ones. These can include:
- Staying involved in their financial affairs
- Monitoring their bank accounts
- Watching for suspicious activity
- Talking to them regularly about common scams
- Encouraging them to be cautious when dealing with unfamiliar people or organizations
Consider establishing powers of attorney to allow trusted family members to manage their finances if they become unable to do so themselves.
What Can You Do When Your Aging Parents Are No Longer Able To Make Decisions?
If your aging parents are no longer able to make decisions for themselves, it may be necessary to seek guardianship or conservatorship. This involves asking a court to appoint a legal guardian or conservator to make decisions on their behalf. The guardian can make decisions about their medical care, living arrangements and other personal matters. A conservator can manage their finances and property. It is important to consult with an elder law attorney to determine the best course of action and understand the legal process.
Schedule A Consultation With A Houston Elder Law Attorney
An elder law attorney can answer your questions and help you better understand all the options that are available to help our elderly loved ones. Our elder law lawyer is available by appointment for consultations. To schedule an appointment, you can call us at 832-940-7555 or send us a message by using our online form. We look forward to helping you navigate your legal challenges.