Boston Massachusetts Elder Law Attorneys
Also Serving Andover & Raynham
"Elder law is a legal term coined to cover an area of legal practice that places an emphasis on those issues that affect the growing aging population."
The three major categories that make up elder law are:
1. Medicaid, disability and other long-term care issues;
2. Guardianship. conservatorship and commitment matters, including fiduciary administration;
3. Estate planning and administration, including tax questions.
Other issues found under the umbrella of elder law include such areas as:
- Estate planning
- Wills
- Trusts
- Guardianships
- Protection against elder abuse
- Neglect, and fraud
- End-of-life planning
- All levels of disability and medical care
- Retirement planning
- Social Security benefits
- Medicare and Medicaid coverage
- Medicaid planning
- Consumer protection
- Nursing homes and in-home care
- Powers of attorney
- Physicians' or medical care directives
- Declarations and powers of attorney
- Landlord/tenant needs
- Real estate and mortgage assistance
- Various levels of advice, counseling and advocacy of rights
- Tax issues
- Discrimination
Planning and Reacting
As Elder Law Attorneys, we have two main ways of working with clients.
Planning
By far, planning for the legal quagmires to come is far more effective than reacting to sudden changes in circumstance. We assist clients as they plan for their future, plan to minimize the impact of extended care in a nursing home, or prepare for future decision making with a living will. Preparation for end of life scenarios is never pleasant, but is totally responsible. It is how families ensure that their assets, their heritage, and their dignity remain intact as one chapter closes, and the next chapter begins.
Responding
No amount of planning ever fully anticipates the unexpected surprises life throws our way. Helping clients properly respond to sudden legal crises is our forte. An unexpected medical diagnosis, sudden death in the family, a stroke, any number of events can force you into a legal situation requiring our assistance. Of course, the more estate planning and Medicaid Planning you have done, the more quickly we can respond to your unexpected life events.
What will happen if a family member faces nursing home care for the rest of their life?
The firm offers a wide variety of problem solving services if a family member requires long-term care, including Medicaid planning and advanced directives. Upon the death of a family member we can assist you with estate tax advice, estate administration, and probate representation. Our attorneys also represent people who need to establish guardianship or conservatorship over the estate of an aging or vulnerable adult. The firm's elder law attorneys understand that during emotional times, in addition to legal advice, clients require their counsel to provide compassion, empathy, and assurances that the problems will be resolved without adding undue stress to an already difficult time.
Helping to Prevent Future Legal Problems and Protect Assets
Planning for the future requires action in the present. The attorneys of Machado & Carden build relationships with clients to develop comprehensive estate and long-term care planning evaluations. The evaluations identify the best strategies to pursue in order to meet clients' estate planning and long-term health care objectives. We look at all the relevant circumstances and issues of your financial situation and then explain the related law and make recommendations so that you make informed decisions about your future.
The complex and ever-evolving rules of Medicaid play an increasingly important role with respect to traditional estate planning concerns. The estate planning attorneys keep current with changes and developments in the law to create strategies that help protect clients against future uncertainties.
The experienced attorneys at Machado & Carden, LLP, can help you prepare for, and resolve, all of your estate planning and administration needs. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our elder law lawyers at one of our convenient locations.
