It’s Ok to Hug Your Elder Law Attorney

If I asked you to think of a mental image of a lawyer, you would probably see a cold-hearted, calculated, robot in a suit who wants to argue at the drop of a dime. Elder law doesn’t work that way.

One of our primary goals is to help our senior clients fi nd the care they need without going broke in the process. A typical client is someone who is already in a nursing home and is quickly burning through their assets. We employ strategies to help protect your home and savings while gaining access to the government healthcare programs you’ve been paying into your whole life.

The government has very complex rules for eligibility for programs like Medicaid, which can pay for long-term care expenses. Some of the rules are harsh (heard of the 5-year lookback period?). Some of the rules are great (you can use trusts and annuities to protect assets). The trick is to know which rules hurt and which rules help. Then we make the rules work to protect our clients. Simple at a high level; complicated in the details.

A nursing home admission is a legal problem and you should seek legal advice. Nursing homes cost almost $15,000 per month in Pennsylvania and the government doesn’t help until you go broke. It is not uncommon for elder law attorneys to protect up to 90% of a family’s savings, even after a nursing home admission. And when we get those kinds of results for a client, yes, they frequently want to give us a hug, and that’s just fi ne by us.

You shouldn’t be nervous or intimidated about calling a lawyer. We’re here to help. If you want more information about how the Medicaid process works give us a call 724-564-6615.

Our fi rm has provided a complimentary guide that you can download. Scan this QR code.

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Certifi ed Elder Law Attorney* Tim Sechler, Esq., Sechler Law Firm, LLC. See our ad on the Back Cover or visit www. SechlerLawFirm.com.. *Certifi ed as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation as accredited by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.