More individuals are living longer lives than in past generations. While this is generally a good thing, it does present some challenges when navigating certain elder rights guaranteed by law. Seniors today are urged to begin planning for their futures by consulting with their families and an experienced attorney knowledgeable in elder care laws. Seniors have important rights under the legal laws that govern society. Having a plan in place can make the aging process much easier on both the seniors and their concerned family members.
Individuals that have retired often plan to spend their golden years traveling or doing the things that they have long dreamed about. It is important for seniors to have a legal document that ensures that the individual’s wishes will be known and implemented. Ideally, individuals should do this before any health conditions make them unable to legally consent to their intended future healthcare plans, asset protection measures, living situations and family involvement later on. Many seniors appoint one of their children to oversee their finances, living arrangements, healthcare, property protection and other important end of life arrangements. In the best scenarios, the family should meet and discuss these arrangements far in advance of when they will need to be implemented.
Sometimes, families discover that their aging parent needs specialized nursing care. If the parent didn’t make arrangements ahead of time, the family members will need to handle things on their own. In some families, heated emotional disputes arise if one individual takes over the parents financial and property assets. Having a legal will and healthcare plan in place can alleviate these stressful situations. Seniors can get sound advice from an elder care attorney such as Cordell and Cordell or others to protect their legal rights. If an older person doesn’t have any close family members like a child to speak for them, a court appointed guardian will be chosen.
Some older individuals never bother to write a legal will because they might think that they don’t have enough assets to care about. Even if an older person’s doesn’t have much in the way of expensive items, a will should still be drawn up to ensure that personal items that have sentimental value will be given to the intended party if the person dies. If a family member has concerns about if their ailing parent is competent to make their own decisions, they should speak with the parent’s doctor. If legal action is needed, families should contact a qualified law firm that handles elder care legal cases like the attorneys at Cordell Cordell or another law firm with elder care legal experience.
Taking some time to get basic affairs in order can dramatically alleviate family members stress and confusion later on. A seasoned attorney can help a client plan for future home nursing care or placement into a senior care home of their choice should that ever become necessary. Many seniors today work with these specialized attorneys to ensure that there will be no confusion if their health or circumstances change later on down the road. Lots of senior aged individuals also make plans for their funeral and burial arrangements so their families won’t have the burden of this while they are grieving.
