Port Orchard Elder Law Attorneys Offer a Range of Legal Services to Assist Seniors and Their Families

Established Washington firm provides knowledgeable guidance

The aging process can trigger a wide range of legal concerns. Frequently, seniors and their families are hesitant to tackle these decisions. Consulting with a qualified elder law attorney in a timely manner can help them maintain a sense of control and prepare for what lies ahead. Port Orchard’s GSJones Law Group, P.S. provides Washington State seniors and their families with knowledgeable, personalized counsel. We are the second-largest law firm in Kitsap County, with attorneys who have more than 150 years of combined legal experience. Our multifaceted elder law team includes Megan Quirk, who has worked for more than 15 years in the areas of estate planning, wills, trusts, healthcare funding and guardianships. Partner John Groseclose handles nursing home and caregiver abuse claims. Norman Short is a partner who advises on complex tax law and estate planning issues. 

Estate planning

Whether you’re in your retirement years or are wisely making plans in advance, one of our estate planning lawyers can help you create enforceable legal instruments to help achieve your goals. Specific legal instruments in your overall plan might include a last will and testament, one or more trusts, a durable power of attorney and/or an advance healthcare directive. Regardless of the size of your potential estate, we can help make sure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes while minimizing the possibility of a dispute among your loved ones. 

Medicaid and long-term care funding concerns

Medicaid is the country’s single largest financial resource for nursing home costs, but ensuring that you or your parent will qualify might take some preparation. Our Medicaid planning attorneys can examine your circumstances and advise if a trust or some other option would be useful. Since the costs of nursing facilities and in-home care can easily run past $100,000 annually, it is important that you have a strategy in place. With the right counsel, you can set up a program that might include government benefits as well as private long-term care insurance. This way, you can be confident that your family will remain financially stable, whether the need exists for a nursing facility or long-term home care arrangements. 

Special needs trusts

Parents frequently provide financial support to their special needs sons and daughters well into adulthood. However, these parents may have concerns about what will happen when they are no longer around to do so. By establishing a special needs trust, you can place assets under the supervision of a trustee who can direct those funds toward paying living expenses for your son or daughter after you’re gone. This arrangement can also be set up so that a special needs individual can still qualify for government benefits. 

Guardianship

An elderly individual who can no longer handle the challenges of daily life effectively due to age-related problems might benefit from a guardianship. This arrangement is created by a family member or friend petitioning the court to obtain legal responsibility for someone who requires help. We assist trustworthy people who seek to become guardians in order to protect a senior and to take an active role in seeing that the senior’s personal and financial needs are met. Our team can advise and accompany you from the start of the legal process through the time when you are fulfilling your duties as a guardian.

Nursing home and caregiver abuse

Seniors who reside in a nursing home or have someone assist them within their own residence are vulnerable to various types of abuse. Elderly Americans have been victimized by financial misappropriation, medical problems caused by neglect and even physical harm. If you suspect that an older person you love is being mistreated, your prompt action can help start the legal process and stop the abuse. When someone is 60 or older and unable to meet their own needs effectively, you can petition for a Vulnerable Adult Protection Order to guard against physical, mental or financial harm. Our attorneys can also pursue monetary damages from the liable facilities and individuals. 

Contact our Kitsap County elder law attorneys to plan for your future

GSJones Law Group, P.S. in Port Orchard provides knowledgeable, personalized counsel to Washington State clients on various elder law concerns. Please call 360-876-9221 or contact us online to arrange a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.