Having the rights combination of wills, trusts, healthcare directives and powers of attorney is essential to making sure you’re properly cared for during your lifetime and that your estate is distributed in the way you want it after you die.

A will can minimize the burden of probate and estate taxes on your family’s assets after you’re gone. It can also name a guardian for your children and select an executor to take over your affairs after you die.

Wills

Whether you make it yourself or get an attorney to help you, a will is the primary way that your estate is distributed after you die. An Estate Planning Attorney in Washington can work with you to design a will that meets your specific needs.

The goal of the will is to ensure that your property and possessions are distributed to the people you want, when you want them. It also helps your family avoid disagreements and reduces the time it takes to distribute assets after your death.

A will is not limited to money, but can include everything from personal items to real estate and more. It can be simple or very elaborate.

In addition to determining how your property will be distributed, your Estate Planning Attorney in Washington can help you decide how to care for your children and other dependents with special needs after you die. They can also create trusts, which allow you to set aside assets for people who cannot manage their own finances.

Trusts

A trust is a legal document that holds property for the benefit of someone else. It can be very simple or very complex, and it can be used to protect the wishes of a person during their lifetime, as well as carry out those wishes after they die.

Trusts are a great estate planning tool for families who wish to retain control over their assets while ensuring that they are distributed according to certain conditions after death. They also help to minimize Washington and federal estate taxes.

Unlike wills, which only take effect after you die, trusts can be set up while you’re alive and will only need to be probated when you pass away. This can save your family time and money in the process, as well as keep your assets out of the public eye.

An Estate Planning Attorney in Washington can help you determine the type of trust that is right for your situation, and then draft the necessary documents. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation with a member of our estate planning team.

Healthcare Directives

A healthcare directive is an important planning tool that can be used to ensure your preferences are respected when you are unable to make decisions for yourself. It can also help to reduce the stress and confusion experienced by family members and caregivers during difficult times.

A health care directive usually involves appointing a person (healthcare agent or power of attorney) to act on your behalf in matters related to your healthcare. It can include instructions for life-sustaining treatments, withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, organ donation after death and more.

Having a healthcare directive in place can be difficult for many people to discuss, but it is an important step towards peace of mind and a more comfortable end-of-life. It can drastically reduce confusion at a time when fast decisions need to be made and it can remove the guilt and uncertainty that family and friends may feel about decisions being made on your behalf.

In Washington state, a healthcare directive can be executed in the presence of two witnesses or it can be signed and sealed in the presence of a notary public or someone who is similarly authorized to take acknowledgments. You can also revoke a healthcare directive in writing.

Powers of Attorney

A power of attorney allows you to name a person or people, usually a spouse or registered domestic partner, an adult child, a friend, or a beneficiary in your will to act on your behalf, in the event that you become unable to make your own decisions. The document is revocable at any time while you have capacity, typically by providing written notice to your agent.

In Washington, a durable power of attorney (POA) can take effect immediately upon signing or it can be set to start at some future date. The POA can also be extended or changed at any time by executing another one.

It is essential that the powers of attorney you choose to give your agents are appropriate for your needs and circumstances. You should have an Estate Planning Attorney in Washington carefully draft the power of attorney for you, to ensure that it is clear in its scope and intentions, lays out specific limitations, and is legally valid and binding.

Caring for an elderly loved one, whether your parents, spouses, grandparents or even yourself, can be difficult. These difficulties might range from health issues to financial difficulties to housing troubles, and they can appear overwhelming at times.

Hiring an elder care lawyer will be the best option to deal with these challenges effectively. They will handle those challenges while you make the most out of the time you spend with your loved ones.

What Is Elder Law?

Elder law is a specialized area of law that handles the different legal needs of the aging population. There are several areas an elder law attorney can specialize in, such as:

• Estate planning
• Management and administration of the elders’ trusts and estates
• Handling financial documents
• Elder abuse and fraud
• Social security
• Medicare

In situations where unexpected issues occur, a senior becomes mentally and physically unable to take care of themselves and their business issues. An elder law attorney could plan for what will happen.

For example, they can help set up a revocable living trust for someone else to manage your assets when you cannot manage them yourself.

Why Choose An Elder Law Attorney?

Elder law attorneys are specialists who work with seniors and the disabled or their caregivers on legal matters. Elder law attorneys have a wide range of experience because of their work. They have dealt with many medical and financial problems that plague seniors and their families. This experience has provided them with the knowledge needed to understand and tackle different challenges and to be able to provide everyone involved with the best advice. They also help make sound decisions that benefit the elderly or disabled person.

Things An Elder Law Attorney Can Help With

Help With Care Plans

Families confront a significant challenge while caring for an elderly loved one by deciding what type of care to provide. They are frequently emotive in their decision-making.

Fortunately, the attorney can assist you with this. They can provide objective and unbiased advice for a strategy.

The older may want to stay at home most of the time. However, it isn’t always the greatest option. The eldercare attorney’s primary responsibility is to ensure that the elder is cared for. Thus he determines the techniques to ensure that the elder is safeguarded.

The elder law attorney can determine which form of care is best for the older adult. They can assist them in determining whether they should remain at home or be admitted to a nursing facility.

They Ensure To A Functional Power Of Attorney Is Put In Place

In situations where the elder has an ailment that tempers the memory, such as Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, Whatever decision they make becomes questionable. The elder law attorney would prepare a power of attorney document for an elected family member in a situation like this.

This elected person gets to make financial or medical decisions for the elder.

They Help With Medicaid Access

Not everybody can apply for Medicaid. Applying for Medicaid depends on several factors, such as the financial assets and how much the treatment you want costs. And this is where the elder law attorney comes in.

An elder law attorney is familiar with and has access to Medicaid guidelines.

First, they can put you through some questions concerning Medicare, such as,

• Is it the right thing for me?
• How does it affect my finances?

Also, if you’re eligible, they can help you apply for benefits.

They Can Help You Apply For Veterans Benefits

If your loved one served in the military before retiring, they might be entitled to various benefits. These perks can assist in alleviating the financial strain associated with treatment and care plans.

An elder care attorney can assist them in determining if they qualify for these benefits and apply for them.

They Help Protect Assets

One common challenge that seniors face is exploitation. Either from a younger family member or fraudulent neighbors. A common type of exploitation is getting access to their bank accounts or other assets.

Having an elder law attorney will help protect the seniors and their assets from exploitation and help them, and their caregivers identify situations that may lead to financial exploitation.

Help with Living Trust Set Up

Most seniors have a plan on where and how they want their estates allocated. It could be to organizations or relatives they care for.

But if they die without proper planning, their assets may need to undergo a probate process. This process is usually long and time-consuming.

However, with a living trust, an elder can still maintain control over their properties no matter what.

An elder law attorney can help you set up a living trust.

Tips On How To Find A Reputable Elder Law Attorney

Suppose your elder needs legal assistance, but you don’t know where to start. It would be best if you considered the following tips.

Ask For Recommendations

One of the best ways to find a reliable attorney is by recommendation. You can ask people close to you and your family to recommend an elder law attorney they have worked within the past. If you can’t find any, you can always ask any adult health care providers you can trust, especially those already caring for your senior.

Search online

Another easy way to find an elder law attorney is to search online. However, when searching online, you must be extra cautious of the lawyer you decide to hire. You must check for things like their; ratings, testimonies, certification, professionalism, etc. An elder law attorney must have practiced for an extended period.

The best elder law attorney is the one who prioritizes your loved one’s utmost care, has your best interest at heart, and is dedicated to making the best decisions that concern your loved one.