ABA Family Legal Guide

The Rights of Older Americans

The Older Americans Act and Services

Do older Americans have different legal problems than younger Americans?

To some extent. In general, older adults benefit from a wide range of legal services. One small but growing area of specialization among lawyers has become known as elder law. Elder law lawyers focus on the legal needs of older people and work with a variety of legal tools and techniques to meet these needs.

An elder law practitioner typically handles general estate-planning matters and counsels clients about planning for incapacity with alternative decision-making documents. The lawyer might assist the client in planning for possible long-term care needs, including nursing-home care, locating appropriate types of care, coordinating public benefits and private resources to finance the cost of care, and working to ensure the client's right to quality care. The National Academy of Elder Law Lawyers (NAELA) can provide more information about lawyers who specialize in elder law. For more information, please access www.naela.org.