Elder Law
How We Can Help
Elder Law is the term and process of making sure we are taken care of as we age. It's more than just making Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney. Elder Law includes planning how to manage and pass on your property (estate planning), helping someone make decisions if they can't do it themselves, and making wills and trusts. It also involves making choices about medical care, like what doctors to see and what treatments to get (medical care or physicians’ directives).
Elder Law also helps cover the needs of people with disabilities (special needs). Plus, it includes any other important choices an older person wants to make, from their choice of medical decisions that will impact them to how their estate will be distributed.
Protecting Your Family And Your Future
What is a Elder Law?
Elder Law is a general term describing the multiple challenges we face as we age. It is about working with you to ensure you are comfortable with your decisions and adequately prepared moving into the future.
We help people of any age and any financial means; especially, in Elder law, we assist seniors and people with disabilities find solutions to pay for care and ensure that vulnerable adults are not exploited.
You want a lawyer who is not only knowledgeable in the areas of concern to you, but also compassionate, while providing a clear-cut and honest approach. These get complicated. That’s where the advice of a reliable elder law attorney may help.
Andrea Jakob helps seniors of all means preserve their resources, protect their hard-earned life savings from expensive costs of long-term care and guides families through the probate process.
What can an Elder Law Lawyer do for you & your family?
Our services include more than just creating a robust Power of Attorney, specifically for seniors, We also assist in organizing and completing any other wishes the older person has. We use specific and legally technical documents that help with the elder's directives regarding their health, independence, autonomy, where they live and how they live.
Our Elder Law work is in the areas of:
- Estate Planning,
- Retirement Planning,
- Disability Planning,
- Long Term Care Planning
- Medicaid Planning.
- Probate
- Trusts and Asset Protection
Typical Dilemmas of Aging
As loved ones age, they can find themselves dealing with complicated financial and health issues. Typical dilemmas involve:
- Retirement,
- End-of-life decisions,
- Social Security benefits,
- Estate planning,
- Long-term care,
- Medicare benefits,
- Medicaid coverage,
- In-home health care,
- Powers of attorney, and
- Healthcare directives.
At our firm, we discuss with every person, at any age, the necessity of having a Durable Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directives such as a Living Will and Health Care Surrogate in place.
More Resources
For More Information for Broward County Elders, please see this Community Resource Guide.
What Would you Do?
Imagine if tomorrow you were in a car accident or overcome by an illness and unable to communicate? What would your family do? I have sat on the edge of too many hospital and/or rehab beds dealing with distraught family members. You must have someone (with alternates) to call your insurance company, write checks, pay bills or communicate on your behalf. This must be done BEFORE an illness or injury! Everyone over 18 years old must designate their “Agents” to act on their behalf.
Many of my new clients initially believe prior to our first meeting that they may only need a “simple will,” without further Estate Planning.
But your biggest concern should not be what your family will do when you pass away; but what your family can do for you right now!
Top 10 reasons why everyone needs an attorney-prepared POA!
- Allows your Agent to speak for you if you cannot speak yourself.
- Avoids the necessity of a Court-Appointment guardianship.
- Provides immediate access to critical assets.
- Allows your family to ensure you are receiving the proper care.
- Allows your Agent to make sure your bills are being paid and to pay them if not.
- Protects you and your family from claims of financial abuse.
- Prevents questions about intent.
- Allows your agents to talk to others for you! Banks, professionals, insurances, deeds, etc…
- Allows Agents to help you plan and make you eligible for public benefits if necessary.
- Prevents delays in financial and asset protection planning.
“The Greatest Treasures Are Those Invisible To The Eye , But Found By The Heart”
Maryanne Williamson
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