Elder Law

Pennsylvania Elder Law, Medicaid, and Nursing Homes

Planning ahead to anticipate the need for assisted living is easy to overlook when you're young and healthy, but the expenses involved with home aid or nursing home care can wreak havoc with retirement savings or an otherwise complete estate plan. At the Lebanon Valley law firm of Reilly, Wolfson, Sheffey, Schrum and Lundberg, LLP, we provide comprehensive client service for individuals and families concerned about estate planning, medical assistance planning involving Medicare or Medicaid, asset preservation, and other problems faced by seniors. Contact one of our elder law attorneys for specific advice about your situation.

We not only provide dependable assistance with finding ways to meet the expenses involved with residential or in-home care after the exhaustion of Medicare benefits, our lawyers can also help resolve problems concerning negligent care or abusive treatment at nursing homes. We can investigate your complaints of improper medication, lack of attention, poor nutrition or hydration, or injuries suffered as a result of falls or even assault. When necessary, we can take your claims of nursing home neglect or abuse to court.

Our elder law attorneys can also advise you about living wills and powers of attorney if you do not already have these important instruments in place. These designate trusted persons to make important financial and medical decisions on your behalf, and according to criteria that you determine, if you become incapable of managing your own affairs. Powers of attorney can also avoid the need for guardianship proceedings if during a period of incapacity it becomes clear that you need help with the management of your medical treatment, your finances, or the basic demands of daily living.

If you or someone in your family is facing the possibility of guardianship proceedings, we can advise you about what's involved in convincing a court to appoint a guardian for someone who can no longer look after their own interests. Guardianship cases are often difficult to prove, divide families, and generate significant administrative and accounting expenses. We can represent either side to a guardianship petition, but ideally, your previous estate planning will have found less intrusive and expensive ways of protecting you and your loved one.

To learn more about the scope of our services for older clients, contact an elder law attorney at Reilly, Wolfson, Sheffey, Schrum and Lundberg, LLP, in Lebanon or Myerstown.

Our Elder Law Attorneys: Timothy D. Sheffey, Paul A. Lundberg, Michelle R. Calvert