Legal Q&A: Elder Care Planning

Question: Help. I don't know where to start and have no idea what to do in order to get my family's "house in order" in regards to planning for our elder care needs. My husband and I are in our mid-60s, are in good health, own our home and have some retirement savings. Although we consider ourselves fairly intelligent, we are wrestling with how to proceed with our elder care planning. Can you provide us with some guidance?

Answer: You should call an experienced elder law attorney.

You may ask why I suggest starting with an attorney first. It has been my experience that many people searching for elder care answers do not have the proper legal paperwork in place to unlock the door to proper elder care planning. They either do not have the correct legal documents or their documents are old and out of date with Maryland's laws. Simply put – the lack of any one of the following documents could sink your elder care planning: a current durable power of attorney over property, a current designation of health care surrogate or sometimes called a durable power of attorney for health care, a living will and the proper Last Will and Testament.

I wish you well in your search for help with your elder care planning. Most people don't look that far ahead in their planning and react in the case of any emergency, especially elder care matters. With elder laws always changing, it is best to plan ahead and take advantage of the current laws in place.

If you have additional questions, you may want to talk with an attorney at Michael Hodes, LLC (410) 769-8002 about this matter.

Or click here for more info: www.michaelhodes.com

Above content provided by Michael Hodes, LLC. For advice about legal issues, consult a licensed Attorney.