Many Louisiana residents are currently taking care of their aging parents or other elderly loved ones. For some, this includes researching and choosing appropriate assisted-living facilities for family members who can no longer care for themselves at home. Others make regular visits to their parents at home, assisting them in various ways, often including financial, medical and legal matters that may prove all-the-more challenging with age.
Elder law addresses various issues that typically pertain to older people, and those acting as personal assistants for their loved ones may want to scout out resources in their areas so they know where to turn for support if problems arise. The federal government first recognized the need to provide protection for aging citizens in 1965 with the passage of the Older Americans Act (OAA). Through this law, the Administration on Aging was created as part of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Various support groups, grants and other resources have also been added to the program through the years to offer assistance to elderly members of society and their family members who help care for them. Problem issues regarding everything from estate planning to Social Security and health care issues can be addressed through this system. Sadly, another crucial component of this system involves elder abuse, which continues to occur in many medical facilities, nursing homes and other elder-care establishments throughout the nation. In such situations, it often helps to act alongside experienced and aggressive representation when seeking justice on behalf of an abused loved one.
Elderly citizens often take comfort in knowing that a support network exists to help them navigate the many issues and often complicated situations unique to their own states in life. An elder law attorney is also someone who can assist Louisiana residents with end-of-life issues that may include advanced directives, designation of health care agents or even burial instructions for when the time comes. Anyone facing a particular problem that falls under the elder law category may request a meeting with an attorney to discuss the issue.
Source: FindLaw, “Elder Law“, Accessed on July 18, 2017
