What should I do to help get my family member’s legal and financial affairs in order?

When a family member has dementia or another disabling health condition, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the many legal and financial questions that can arise. There are questions like: Who gets to make decisions about their financial and personal affairs? When is it time to consult with an attorney? What is the difference between conservatorship, guardianship and durable power of attorney? How are we going to pay for long-term care?

FCA has a number of fact sheets that can help answer these questions:

• Guardianship and Conservatorship
• Making End-of-Life Decisions: What Are Your Important Papers?
• Legal Issues in Planning for Incapacity
• Finding an Attorney

If you are looking for an attorney, you can ask your local Area Agency on Aging for a legal consult, you can call the senior legal hotline in your state, or you can hire an attorney who specializes in eldercare law.

 

Eldercare Locator

Connects older Americans (60+) and their caregivers with the local Area Agency on Aging’s Family Caregiver Support Program, which provides information, assistance, and other services to caregivers, and community-based organizations.
eldercare.acl.gov

 

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)

NAELA maintains a comprehensive list of elder care attorneys whom can also provide mediation services for families.
www.naela.org

 

If you still have questions that are not addressed here, our online Caregiver Intake form is getting reassessed for security of your information; in the meantime you can call us at (800) 445-8106.