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If you have a loved one who is entering assisted living, you may feel like there isn’t much you can do for them. After all, they will have a staff who can take care of their daily needs. And because they are in a facility rather than at home, you will have reduced access to them.
However, even after they enter into assisted living, your loved ones still need you. One of the main ways you can assist them is by obtaining legal services that will settle their affairs. The following are some ways that you can work with an estate planning attorney to get your loved one the help they need.
Writing and Maintaining a Will
While most people create their wills before entering assisted living, this isn’t a universal truth. If your loved one needs one drafted, an estate planning attorney from Merlino & Gonzalez will help your loved one create their will for them.
Even if it has already been created, our lawyers will check in with your loved one regularly so they can update it if necessary. The importance of having an attentive lawyer can’t be overstated.
People in assisted living facilities have limited mobility, which is why having a lawyer who proactively reaches out to them on a regular basis can be so beneficial. This helps ensure that their rights are better protected.
Planning for Incapacity or Long-Term Care
Typically, if someone is residing in assisted living, they have acknowledged that they have lost some ability to care for themselves. Unfortunately, that situation doesn’t get better for most people living in these facilities.
A majority of residents will eventually become at least partially incapacitated (if they aren’t already) and may require specific types of long-term care. Entering an assisted living facility is the first step toward planning for that care, but it may not be enough.
An elder law lawyer from Merlino & Gonzalez will help your loved one arrange their finances to protect them even if they need greater care than they already have. We will also create a medical plan that may involve a medical proxy.
Having a medical proxy ensures that your loved one’s desires are protected if they are ever incapacitated. It is a difficult role, but agreeing to be a medical proxy for your loved one can give them good peace of mind.
Help With Government Benefits
Your loved one should continue to receive government benefits for the rest of their life. Some of those benefits may be used to help pay for assisted living, depending on where your loved one resides.
However, determining what benefits your loved one has or how they can be used can be very complicated. This is especially true in cases where the person has not kept great records.
A lawyer from Merlino & Gonzalez can help your loved one understand their government benefits and organize them. In some cases, we have helped recipients get thousands more a year than they expected to receive.
Contact Merlino & Gonzalez for Help With Estate Law Issues in Staten Island
If your loved one has entered an assisted living home or is planning to enter one, you can show how much you care by helping them get the legal advice they need during their later years. Contact our law firm to consult with an experienced lawyer serving all parts of Staten Island.