National Elder Law Month

May is National Elder Law Month! Planning for the future or even just the next few months can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone.  Elder law attorneys help older adults and their families with important projects, such as estate planning, long-term care planning, and Medical Assistance applications.  This month, talk to an Elder Law attorney at Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd. to learn how you can achieve peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones.  Be prepared for the future!

Topic 1: Team Effort

As individuals age, it is not unusual for them to need more help from others. Such help could take the form of automatic bill-pay or a cleaning service. It could include, for example, transportation services, meal preparation assistance, or a second “set” of ears at medical appointments. The usual helpers are family and friends, but staff at assisted living and nursing care facilities, medical providers, financial advisors, long-term care insurance brokers, and paid care providers are also key helpers. Despite all the assistance helpers provide, however, such help, in and of itself, isn’t enough. Two more components are needed to provide an aging individual who needs help with the necessary assistance: 1) incapacity planning documents; and 2) a team leader.

Incapacity planning documents name agents who have legal permission to act on behalf of and for the benefit of the elderly person, including a Health Care Directive, Power of Attorney, and perhaps a trust. Without such documents, willing helpers lack authority to ask questions, make decisions, or pay bills.

A team leader is a person who provides an overall plan and who counsels and coordinates efforts. By definition, a team is made up of 2 or more individuals who are working together toward a particular goal. Most teams, such as a sports team or a work team, are comprised of various individuals with different talents. No one person on the team has all the necessary skills or experience for team success, and it is only by working together as a team that the overall team effort is successful. Further, every team needs a leader. Even a team of incredible individual talent can flounder or fail without leadership. Consider a football team without a coach or quarterback.

In the context of helping an aging individual who needs help, it takes a team of helpers to provide all the helps and cares that such an individual needs, but the usual helpers—family, friends, staff at facilities, medical providers, financial advisors, long-term care insurance brokers, care providers—are only able to play their defined helping role and are not well-suited to be the team leader. Only an elder law attorney has the knowledge, training, and expertise to serve as team leader because only an elder law attorney knows the relevant law, can analyze facts and circumstances, is able to counsel and advise, and has the skills and expertise to coordinate team efforts.

Susan Peterson-Lerdahl, Adam Kaufman, Jill Adkins, David Estle, and Rachell Henning, all of whom are Estate Planning and Elder Law attorneys at Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd., have decades of experience helping aging individuals and their families plan for successful team effort. They create the necessary legal structure for helpers to have authority to help. They consider facts and wishes and advantages and disadvantages of various options. They counsel clients to make good decisions about their futures. When necessary, they assist clients with navigating challenging situations. In every case, they lead and guide the team of helpers. Give your Elder Law attorney team leader at Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd. a call today!