Elder Law Attorneys in Lenoir County

Protecting You and Your Family

You might be surprised to find out that elder law covers a broad range of practice areas, with the desired goal being protecting senior citizens’ rights, as well as planning for how they will be able to care for their families after they are gone.

Senior citizens are among our most vulnerable people. After a long life of hard work, providing for their families, and building for the future of generations to come, they deserve to relax and enjoy the fruits of their later years. Unfortunately, there are plenty of nefarious people who would look to take advantage of these people. Whether it be a shady landlord or someone looking to defraud them of their hard-earned money, our eldest citizens are often targeted.

Elder law also exists to assist senior citizens with things like public benefits, insurance disputes, employment rights, retirement advice, and more. Elder law attorneys work for our nation’s vulnerable population, helping them navigate through the confusing and often tedious minefield of government assistance and litigious rights.

Elder law attorneys work with their senior citizen clients in order to help ensure the financial well-being and livelihood of their families after they pass away. Senior citizens who work with their elder law attorney can draft their wills and trusts. They can have their advance healthcare directives planned out so that their voice is heard for any medical issues where they can not speak for themselves.

How Do Elder Law Attorneys Protect Our Seniors?

There are many ways an elder law attorney can help protect senior citizens. Some of the areas they can assist include but are not limited to the following.

Age Descrimination and Your Rights

Senior citizens can and do face blatant discrimination based on their age. This can happen at the workplace, costing someone their job just because they are a certain age. Senior citizens can be looked over for promotions and employment because a judgmental person doesn’t believe that they can handle the prospective workload, something that people can’t tell just based on another person’s age.

They can also face discrimination when hunting for a new place to live. If someone denies another person a rental unit or the sale of a house purely because of the recipient’s age, then they have discriminated against that person. Elder law attorneys help combat such blatant crimes.

Senior citizens deserve adequate healthcare after working hard for their entire life. However, their medical needs may be considered lesser than someone else’s simply because of their age. Medical practices should be blind when dealing with their patients. Age should not play a factor when deciding how a patient will be treated.

Elder law attorneys are well-versed when it comes to your rights. Working with the compassionate team at Swindell Law Firm, PC, you can rest assured that your rights are respected, regardless of your age.

Elder Abuse

Senior citizens may be targeted by incredulous individuals simply because these individuals see the senior as an easy target.

Someone who inflicts emotional or physical abuse on a vulnerable elder is reprehensible. If you are being abused because of your age, or you believe an abuser is targeting your older loved one, working with an elder law attorney can help you figure out your options in pursuing these lowly people.

We trust assisted living centers and nursing homes to care for our parents and grandparents. If these facilities or the employees of these facilities are neglecting your loved one, this is paramount to abuse. Unfortunately, sexual abuse happens in these facilities. If someone hurts your loved one, don’t let them get away with it. Speak with an elder law attorney and find out your options.

Financial abuse is abuse. Financial abuse can occur when someone illegally uses a senior’s assets, either through theft, fraud, or coercion. These fraudulent activities can include altering a senior’s will and trust, not only stealing from the senior but from their family in the long run.

Government Benefits

Applying for government benefits is needlessly complicated. You may not know you filled out the wrong form until months later, resulting in the entire process needing to be restarted, wasting valuable time. An elder law attorney can help with these complicated processes, whether it be for Social Security benefits, public assistance programs, or private assistance programs.

End of Life Planning

Elder law attorneys can assist with all areas of planning for the end of one’s life. Working with elders, they can ensure they are financially comfortable for their remaining days. Elder law attorneys can assist with wills, living wills, advance directives, guardianship, and other assets of estate planning.

All of these are legal documents that can be difficult to understand, with many steps to take to ensure the proper distribution of your estate to your family. It is important to answer as many questions as possible using these methods so that your family knows what you want as far as medical treatment and the distribution of your estate.

When Should You Seek Help From an Elder Law Attorney?

The moment you think you might need a lawyer is the moment you should speak with one. Don’t wait for disaster to strike before speaking with a lawyer; speak with one now and find out how you can protect yourself or your parents and grandparents.

Call 252-262-1325 to speak with the compassionate team at Swindell Law Firm, PC. If you are concerned for your well-being or the well-being of your loved ones, don’t hesitate to call and schedule your free consultation to find out how Swindell Law Firm, PC can help!