Elder Law Attorneys Serving Southern California

California Elder Law Attorney Assists Clients with Challenges Late in Life

Attorneys Working with Families to Navigate Complicated Legal Issues

Bochnewich Law Offices and its attorneys offers a complete framework of legal services to elderly residents in the Coachella Valley and throughout Southern California. Legal issues for older people necessarily include estate considerations. The familiarity our Palm Desert elder law attorneys have with probate law allows us to provide comprehensive representation in a range of matters to protect your rights and wishes now and in the future.

Helping You to Control Medical Choices Through Directives and Living Wills

Healthcare directives are important documents that instruct your family and medical professionals how you want to be treated should you no longer be able to communicate your wishes. We work with several types, including:

• Living wills — Unlike actual wills, these do not distribute property but state the type of treatment you wish to have in certain situations.

• Advance directives — In some power of attorney documents, these instructions specify your wishes regarding medical care and may name an agent of your choice to make healthcare decisions for you.

• Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders — These documents, which are legally binding, can be executed by terminally ill people who no longer wish to receive life-extending treatment.

Bochnewich Law Offices will work with you to develop a plan that not only allows you to control your medical future but saves your family from the turmoil of making difficult decisions.

Should I Hire an Elder Law Attorney?

A Palm Desert elder law attorney can guide you through many of the difficult questions you and your family must answer as your loved one reaches their elderly years. Whether your family has experienced any form of elder abuse or simply want to ensure your end-of-life documents are in order and enforceable as part of your estate planning, call our office. A California elder law attorney can be an invaluable asset that provides your family with security and peace of mind.

While it is possible to navigate some elder law matters without an attorney, doing so potentially puts you and your family at risk. It’s easy to overlook some key details in end-of-life documents like wills, trusts, and estate plans without an attorney to guide you through their creation. If you are facing a civil action against a party who has committed elder abuse against your loved one, we can help. Your Palm Desert elder law attorney has the experience and resources to hold their abuser accountable. Your attorney can provide peace of mind for your family during a difficult time and provide the peace of mind you need when developing end-of-life plans.

What Can an Elder Law Attorney Do for Me?

Your Palm Desert elder care lawyer from the Bochnewich Law Offices can provide a full range of legal services to meet your needs. Some of the functions our office serves to clients in the Palm Desert area include:

• End-of-life plan drafting. Whether you wish to create a will, living will, trust, or comprehensive estate plan, we can provide guidance and answer your legal questions as we help you draft these essential documents to ensure your family’s peace of mind after your passing.

• Estate administration. If you already have end-of-life documents in place or your loved one has recently died, our team can assist with the administration of their estate plan or provide probate representation if necessary.

• Elder abuse claims. If your elderly loved one has suffered any type of abuse in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or from an in-home caregiver, it is essential to pursue legal action as soon as possible.

• Elder benefits assistance. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security can provide various benefits to the elderly. Navigating the claims and appeals processes for these benefits can be very difficult without legal assistance. Our firm can help you determine your benefit qualifications from public programs and help you secure the benefits you and your family need.

These are just a few of the elder law services our firm provides to Palm Desert clients. We understand that many elder law matters are difficult to face without legal assistance and strive to provide reliable, compassionate legal representation to every client we accept.

Answering Questions on Medicare and Medicaid Coverage

As medical needs increase with age, so do complications with the various forms of subsidizing medical care. Healthcare costs late in life can be a serious threat to your estate plans, so Bochnewich Law Offices can assist you in explaining coverage options or fighting for you if you are the victim of an adverse decision.

Advocating for Those Victimized by Nursing Home Negligence

We can help if someone has suffered physically or financially due to misconduct or carelessness in a nursing home. Nursing home mistreatment, including abuse and neglect, affects millions of elderly and other vulnerable patients each year. Some mistreatment can go undetected for years, so if you suspect a loved one is being mistreated, it is important to contact attorney Peter Bochnewich immediately.

Creating Power of Attorney Documents so Financial Obligations Don’t Lapse

A durable financial power of attorney allows you to name someone you trust to handle crucial decisions in the event that you become unable to do so. If a medical emergency occurs, this document points the court to the person you want handling your economic affairs. Financial obligations don’t end when you’re in a medical crisis. Bochnewich Law Offices will provide peace of mind in this regard.

Providing Insight on The Role Social Security Benefits Play in Financial and Estate Planning

Bochnewich Law Offices can counsel you on the role that Social Security benefits might play as part of your overall estate plan. If you have not retired yet, we can advise you as to how decisions you make at the end of your work life can lead to changes in the amount Social Security will provide. We can also explain the death and disability benefit rules that may affect you and your family.

Assisting Individuals with Drafting and Updating Wills and Trust Documents

Many seniors had wills or trusts drafted decades ago, meaning their terms could be seriously out of date. We help older people not only with drafting wills and trusts where necessary, but assist them by reviewing and updating their legal directives so that they are current and accurate.

How to Choose the Best California Elder Care Attorney

Finding the right attorney to assist with your family’s elder law matters can be daunting. Take your time comparing Palm Desert eldercare lawyers and choose the one who inspires you with the most confidence about your current legal situation. Your elder care attorney should have a solid record of successful cases similar to yours, a reasonable caseload that ensures they can provide your case the attention it deserves, and responsive communication to keep you updated about your latest case proceedings. Take advantage of free consultation offers if possible, and develop a list of questions to ask a potential Palm Desert elder law attorney.

Essential Questions to Ask a Potential Elder Law Attorney

At the Bochnewich Law Offices, we want our potential clients in Palm Desert to feel confident about their legal options in elder law matters. The following questions can help you narrow down your search for the right attorney to represent your case:

• “How much experience do you have with elder law?” While many new attorneys are highly skilled, it is always best to choose the more experienced attorney to handle sensitive legal issues like your elder law matters.

• “What can I expect from your firm?” Find out how you will be able to get in touch with your attorney and how often you can expect updates about your case.

• “How many cases do you handle at a time?” It’s natural for attorneys to handle several cases at a time; many cases involve long lapses of time between proceedings, and attorneys can use these lapses to work on other clients’ cases. However, it’s best to choose an attorney who maintains a relatively light caseload so you can be sure your case will receive the individual attention it deserves.

• “What do you expect will happen in my case?” There is nothing wrong with asking a potential attorney for their honest interpretation of your legal situation. Their response can help you gauge their confidence in your case and willingness to represent your interests.

These are a few good starting questions to ask as you find the right Palm Desert elder law attorney for your family. However, each case is unique. Take time to develop more questions specific to your situation for an even better idea of how a potential attorney will handle your case.

Potential Recovery from An Elder Abuse Claim

Our firm is prepared to aggressively defend the rights of clients who have suffered abuse at the hands of caregivers, nursing care facilities, and even family members. An elder abuse claim may involve many types of damages, and our goal is to seek maximum compensation for every client we represent in an elder abuse claim. Some of the potential damages you and your family may recover from a personal injury lawsuit for elder abuse include:

• Medical expenses for your elderly loved one’s treatment they required as a result of abuse. It’s also possible to claim compensation for increased medical costs caused by worsening medical conditions due to negligent elder care or abuse.

• Pain and suffering compensation. The elderly are some of the most vulnerable members of society. California state law allows an elder abuse claim plaintiff to recover compensation for physical pain and psychological trauma resulting from abuse.

• Property damage compensation. Elder abuse is sometimes financial in nature. If someone has financially exploited your elderly loved one or committed identity theft using their personal information for personal gain, we can help you recover the economic losses they caused.

• Lost income. Your loved one’s experiences may have interfered with your ability to work or caused you to miss work for an extended time. You can claim lost income as damages in an elder abuse claim along with all other expenses you incurred as a result of the defendant’s abuse.

• Punitive damages, which are awarded at a judge’s discretion based on the severity of the defendant’s behavior. A plaintiff cannot directly claim punitive damages in a personal injury claim, but California does not place any limits on the amount a judge may award in punitive damages.

Elder abuse claims are serious legal matters that require the attention of a seasoned Palm Desert elder law attorney.

Contact a Coachella Valley Elder Law Attorney for A Free Consultation

Bochnewich Law Offices is a Palm Desert law firm, providing a full range of elder-law matters. Call or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.