What is Elder Law?
Elder Law is a specialized area of legal practice focused on the unique needs and concerns of older adults, often with the help of their families, as they navigate the many legal, financial, and care-related challenges that come along with aging.
At its core, Elder Law means more than just estate planning: it’s a holistic approach to protecting your rights, ensuring dignity, preserving assets, and preparing for the future, no matter what stage of life you or a loved one are in.
As people grow older, their legal needs often become more complex. Changes in health, retirement, living arrangements, and financial circumstances can bring difficult decisions.
Common Questions Include:
- Who can make medical decisions for me if I become incapacitated?
- How can I protect my savings and home if I need long-term care?
- What will happen to my estate and who will manage it when I’m no longer able to?
- How can my spouse or loved ones be protected if I need nursing home care?
Elder Law offers legal tools and guidance to address those questions proactively so you don’t have to scramble in a crisis or leave your family with hard choices.
How the Law Offices of McKelvey Kargo Can Help
Our Elder Law services provide a full suite of support to help seniors and their families plan for the future with dignity, clarity, and protection.
Some of the ways we can assist include:
We help you create wills, trusts, and other estate-planning documents so your assets are distributed according to your wishes. We also establish durable powers of attorney, health care proxies, and advance directives to make sure decisions are made by the people you trust if you become unable to decide for yourself.
We guide you through planning for long-term care needs including potential nursing home or in-home assistance, helping you understand and obtain public benefits (like Medicaid when eligible), preserve assets, and avoid avoidable financial hardship.
If a loved one becomes unable to make decisions, we can help obtain a guardianship or conservatorship or, ideally, help you avoid the need for court-appointed guardianship by establishing advance legal protections.
We assist in setting up living wills, health-care directives, and medical powers of attorney to ensure your health care wishes are followed and that decision-makers are legally authorized when the time comes.
Seniors can be especially vulnerable to financial exploitation, neglect, or improper treatment, whether in their home, assisted living, or nursing facility. We are prepared to defend your rights, help you understand your options, and take action, if needed.
Because every person’s situation is different, we tailor our advice to fit your goals and values. We work closely with you and your loved ones to build a legal plan that brings peace of mind now and into the future.
When to Consider an Elder Law Attorney
Whether you’re entering retirement, managing chronic health conditions, assisting aging parents, or simply wish to get your affairs in order, now may be the right time to talk with an Elder Law attorney.
Many people wait until a crisis arises, but proactive planning often yields better results: more control, less stress, better preservation of assets, and stronger protection for you and your loved ones. At the Law Offices of McKelvey Kargo, we welcome questions at every stage and offer consultations to help you determine what legal protections make sense for you and your family.
Our Commitment to You
We understand that thinking about the future of your loved one’s health, care, and legacy can be emotionally difficult, that’s why our Elder Law team offers knowledgeable guidance, clear communication, and compassionate support. We believe in empowering our clients with choices and helping families navigate aging with dignity, clarity, and confidence.
If you’d like to learn more, or discuss your specific needs, please contact us to schedule an appointment.
