Elder Law Attorney Serving Altoona
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 17 percent of Altoona residents are age 65 or older. When you or a loved one in Altoona needs experienced legal guidance to prepare for future needs, turn to the legal team at Kreisher Marshall & Associates. Contact our firm today for an initial case review with an elder law attorney to discuss your needs and legal options.
Why Choose an Elder Law Attorney from Kreisher Marshall & Associates?
Preparing for your or an older loved one’s future can seem stressful. Imagining what support services you or your loved one may need in later years can raise challenging issues for parties to consider. Working with a seasoned elder law attorney can help you develop a thorough, tailored legal strategy. Choose Kreisher Marshall & Associates, LLC to assist you with your legal needs because:
- Our legal team includes board-certified elder law attorneys Marianne E. Kreisher and Marissa B. Marshall, two of only a few dozen such attorneys in Pennsylvania. Their board certifications reflect their experience and specialized knowledge in elder law, enabling them to provide focused, innovative advice on estate planning, long-term care, and guardianship.
- We will take the time necessary to understand your needs, goals, and concerns to provide the advice and support you need to make informed decisions. We handle every case to build a long-term relationship with our clients and provide the legal support they need for years to come.
- Our firm has a proven record of providing dedicated legal advice and advocacy to residents of Altoona and the surrounding communities, spanning more than 50 years.
- We take a team approach to legal services, leveraging each attorney’s unique experience and expertise to develop cutting-edge solutions for our clients.
- Our Guardianship & Fiduciary Services provides fiduciary services to seniors and adults with special needs under guardianships or court-appointed fiduciary arrangements.
Estate Planning
Our elder law attorneys assist clients and families with estate planning for older adults. Our firm can help ensure individuals have appropriate legal structures in place as they age. We can help you or an older loved one prepare a will to appoint an executor for your or your loved one’s estate, create trusts to facilitate asset distribution or protect and manage assets, and design powers of attorney to empower loved ones to assume decision-making authority if required by age or incapacity. Our attorneys have extensive experience helping individuals in their later years develop estate planning tools such as:
- Wills
- Living and irrevocable trusts
- Beneficiary designations
- Advance healthcare directives
- Powers of attorney
- Asset protection strategies
Whether you want to create a plan to distribute your assets after your passing or you need to develop a plan to manage your affairs in your later years, our attorneys have in-depth experience with estate planning in the context of elder law.
Medicaid Planning
As they age, one of the most pressing concerns for individuals and their loved ones is affording long-term or nursing home care. With many people requiring years or decades of long-term nursing home care, the cost of such care can deplete the resources and wealth older adults have spent their careers building to pass on to loved ones. Fortunately, government benefit programs such as Medicaid can assist with the cost of long-term care. However, such programs have strict financial requirements that can exclude many people with assets such as homes or retirement accounts. Medicaid planning can help individuals, couples, and their families prepare for government assistance when long-term care becomes necessary.
It is never too late to undertake Medicaid planning. Our experienced attorneys can help develop tailored solutions, regardless of your or your loved one’s circumstances. Medicaid planning can leverage trusts and other legal strategies to help you or your loved one qualify for financial assistance with long-term care costs and preserve as much of your family’s wealth as possible.
Life Care Planning
Unfortunately, no one can predict what will happen to us as we age. Although everyone hopes to enjoy good health well into their later years, aging frequently brings various medical challenges. In addition, age-related illnesses can rapidly impair health and capabilities. As a result, having a life care plan in place can help you or your family know what steps to take if you or a loved one requires more intensive care from family members or healthcare professionals.
Our firm’s life care planning services provide a comprehensive approach to preparing for the future by ensuring your or your loved one’s medical, personal, and financial needs are met. Life care planning works in tandem with estate planning. However, estate planning focuses on managing assets after death; life care planning focuses on managing your or your loved one’s personal and financial affairs when illness or incapacity sets in. A life care plan can help you or a loved one maintain control over your final years or end-of-life by helping your family and providers respect your or your loved one’s wishes and preferences.
Home Care and Nursing Home Planning
Unfortunately, home health care or nursing home services may become necessary as we age and are less able to perform daily activities. However, developing a comprehensive long-term care plan can ease the transition from complete independence to full-time nursing home care. A long-term care plan can help you or a loved one remain at home and maintain independence for as long as possible, allowing you to age gracefully.
Our long-term care planning services help you or your loved one afford the quality home health or nursing home care you deserve when you need assistance and support with daily living. We can help your family understand long-term care costs and advise you on legal strategies to ensure you or your loved one can access the care and support needed to lead a dignified life in the final years.
Guardianship & Fiduciary Services
Our Guardianship & Fiduciary Services can assist vulnerable older adults who need a guardian, trustee, or fiduciary to manage their affairs when they lack family or friends to assist. Our team includes elder care coordinators, certified Medicaid planners, and accredited case managers with extensive experience providing guardianship and fiduciary services to older or disabled adults.
We can serve as a court-appointed guardian, trustee of a living/Medicaid/special needs trust, or an agent acting under a power of attorney. Our board-certified elder law attorneys supervise our fiduciary services. Our staff conducts quarterly in-person visits or video conferences with clients and provides more frequent status updates and check-ins, while remaining available 24/7 to assist with any needs that arise.
Contact Our Firm Today to Discuss Your Options
Elder law encompasses a range of legal issues and services, including estate planning, long-term care, and guardianship. Individuals and families in Altoona may need to make difficult financial, legal, and medical decisions as they or their loved ones age. Working with a seasoned elder law attorney can help you make the choices needed to protect your family’s interests. Contact us online to schedule a confidential consultation with an elder law attorney and learn more about our legal services.
