According the American Bar Association, there were approximately 1.3 million lawyers in the United states in 2015 (ABA Survey). Of that million or so, over four hundred of them are CELAs or certified elder law attorneys. What is Elder law? Elder law is an area of specialty in law that caters to a specific type of clientele that include older persons, people with disabilities and their family members. Since it was only created around twenty-five years ago, elder law is not exactly a new field, but it’s newfound importance shows how society is shifting. The National Elder Law Foundation or NELF describes elder law as “legal practice of counseling and representing older persons” (nelf.org). Not all clients of elder law attorneys are in their old
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Elder law is becoming one of the fastest growing specialties in law. As more adults become older, the more they’ll need help with situations like end of life planning and Medicaid/Medicare. Having an abundance of CELAs that could stay informed about the changing healthcare legislation could help eliminate misunderstandings. Elder law is also important because it identifies the aging population, their families and people with disabilities as a specific group with rights and needs that can be met now. If it wasn’t for the help of CELAs many older adults and people with disabilities would not qualify for Medicare/Medicaid or correctly plan for long term care, finances after retirement or incapacitation and many would continue to have issues with the abuse of power of attorney. Why should one hire an elder law attorney? CELAs are useful for a variety of services including the ones mentioned before. If you are an adult getting close to the age of sixty-five, a person with disabilities or the family member of someone who fits the prior description who has some concerns about or needs help with planning and education then you can hire an elder law attorney. Families already have a hard time dealing with the reality of aging parents. All the new costs of care and the legal jargon that may be hard to understand. Hiring a CELA can relieve some of the burden. There is no “easy way” of preparing for the rest of one’s life when we are not even sure how much time we have left. The sooner one talks to a CELA and voices concerns that they may have, the easier it will be when things get
Elder law is becoming one of the fastest growing specialties in law. As more adults become older, the more they’ll need help with situations like end of life planning and Medicaid/Medicare. Having an abundance of CELAs that could stay informed about the changing healthcare legislation could help eliminate misunderstandings. Elder law is also important because it identifies the aging population, their families and people with disabilities as a specific group with rights and needs that can be met now. If it wasn’t for the help of CELAs many older adults and people with disabilities would not qualify for Medicare/Medicaid or correctly plan for long term care, finances after retirement or incapacitation and many would continue to have issues with the abuse of power of attorney. Why should one hire an elder law attorney? CELAs are useful for a variety of services including the ones mentioned before. If you are an adult getting close to the age of sixty-five, a person with disabilities or the family member of someone who fits the prior description who has some concerns about or needs help with planning and education then you can hire an elder law attorney. Families already have a hard time dealing with the reality of aging parents. All the new costs of care and the legal jargon that may be hard to understand. Hiring a CELA can relieve some of the burden. There is no “easy way” of preparing for the rest of one’s life when we are not even sure how much time we have left. The sooner one talks to a CELA and voices concerns that they may have, the easier it will be when things get