Florida Life Care
Planning
Aging is a natural part of life, so if you’re living in Florida, life care planning is essential. As you age, you may require more medical care and additional assistance with the activities of daily living. These services are expensive and, unless you create a thoughtful plan to pay for them, could quickly deplete your life savings and consume the entire inheritance you planned to leave to your family. In addition, your loved ones could be placed in the difficult position of determining what types of services you would have wanted should you ever become incapacitated and unable to make these choices for yourself.
Florida Long-Term Care
You can’t see into the future and predict the extent of care you may need many years from now. But, you can put a plan in place that covers the costs of whatever long term care in Florida you may need. When you meet with one of our lawyers, they will advise you on important financial long-term planning resources such as:
- Health insurance that offers adequate medical coverage for aging adults
- Insurance for long-term care in Florida that covers the costs of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and in-home health aides and nursing services
- Medicaid eligibility while preserving your assets and financial security
- We speak candidly about potential challenges you may face in later years and tailor an effective plan suited to your individual circumstances.
Making Your
Own Decisions
When you work with a life care lawyer, you have the ability to make crucial decisions ahead of time in case you ever become incapacitated. We advise you to draft advanced directives that clearly state your medical and end-of-life decisions to be carried out if you are unable to express your wishes. These important documents ensure that your wishes are honored and relieve your loved ones of making potentially heart-wrenching decisions. Through the creation of advanced legal documents, you can also appoint a trusted family member or friend to carry out your wishes.
Guardianship
of an Adult
Many seniors remain able to make vital medical and financial decisions throughout their lives. However, an illness, an injury, or dementia could render your loved one unable to care for her or himself. In this case, you may need to seek a court appointment of a guardian.
A court-appointed guardian is taked with making decisions on behalf of an incapacitated audlt, called a ward, that are in the ward’s best interest. The court must first determine that the adult is incapacitated through an evidentiary hearing. The guardian remains accountable for her or his decisions and must periodically update the court on those decisions. Generally, the Florida court attempts to impose the least restrictive relationship on the adult. For example, if the power of attorney provides enough protection, the judge may rule that guardianship is not necessary. The guardianship relationship may be terminated at a later date if the ward regains capacity.
Elder Care in Palm Beach
Walser & Herman Law Firm helps you create an effective long-term care plan. Call our Boca Raton main office or our Palm Beach Gardens office location at 561.750.1040 or email us to schedule an appointment with our estate and life care lawyer.
Our Team
Our experienced team of attorneys is here to help you navigate your estate plan and the Florida probate process.