Elder Law

Elder Law is a general term that has been used in a variety of ways to mean legal work needed to help seniors put their affairs in order. One size does not fit all. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Elder Planning is best done when a family or loved one is not in crisis (“blue sky” planning). We encourage our clients, if feasible, tovisit with a Long Term Care Insurance specialist and discuss options before they become sick. Meet with an attorney to understand how to best protect your home before you are headed into a nursing home. Share your estate plan, where your important papers are, or have other such conversations with family, neighbors and others close to you so that important papers can be found in time of need and that your wishes will be followed.

Attorneys in our office can advise clients on Medicaid eligibility and on ways they may be able to protect their home and assets for children or other loved ones. Although recent changes in law concerning Medicaid has made it more difficult for elders to protect their home and other assets for their loved ones, there are still a variety of options available. Attorneys in our office can advise you and your family on these options and what might best suit your family circumstances.

Sometimes, older adults need a simple will and health care documents. Other times, given their assets or goals, more robust planning is needed involveing trusts. Our Firm provides these services.

Older adults may need or become in need of nursing home care but are wondering how to afford it. Sometimes governmental assistance is available to help. We can assist you and your family in locating resources that can help with these issues,. Our Firm advises clients on Medicaid eligibility.

Families often become concerned when a loved one becomes mentally incompetent. We can assist by providing advice to the family concerning Guardianship and Conservatorship proceedings and go to Court, if needed. It is our preference, of course, to do proper estate planning so that one would rarely need to rely on the court process to decide important issues.

Finally, we work with a variety of allied professionals in helping families in times of need. For example, see www.privatuscare.com. Many times we have worked with such organizations in the past and have a high degree of confidence in their services.

We are prepared to provide emergency services for a variety of legal matters if someone is critically ill.

For additional assistance, please call our office at (617) 716-0300 or info@squillace-law.com.