Guides to Legal Issues
Family and Medical Leave Act
Legal Services and Resources
Accessing Assistance

A Caregiver's Role Regarding Legal Issues
Generally, caregivers assume responsibility for an older adult without legal obligation to do so, unless they are legally appointed or designated as a guardian, medical power of attorney, or durable power of attorney. Caregivers must often help their loved ones understand advance planning issues, which encompass practically every aspect of a person’s life. These issues sometimes involve legal concerns, which many caregivers need help to interpret.

Guides to Legal Issues
To offer guidance on Advance Planning and other legal issues affecting older adults, the Institute on Aging suggests the following resources:

Guide to Legal Issues for Pennsylvania Senior Citizens (pdf file)
Published by the Pennsylvania Bar Association and Pennsylvania Bar Insurance and Trust Fund

This guide aims at educating caregivers about legal issues for senior citizens to assist with decision making, especially with regards to the older adults’ independence, finances, and government benefits. The guide also provides information to help protect older adults from individuals who want to deceive, exploit, or defraud them and to enhance awareness of the various legal services and advice available. Topics include:

• Property Tax and Rent Rebates
• Estate Planning
• Advance Health Care Declarations (pdf file) — like Living Wills
• Medical Insurance Benefits and Rights
• Low-Cost Legal Services
• Elder Abuse and Neglect

Consumer’s Took Kit for Health Care Advance Planning
Provided by the American Bar Association, the Consumer’s Tool Kit for Health Care Advance Planning contains a variety of worksheets, suggestions, and resources to assist with planning. Although the tool kit does not create a formal advance directive for you, it helps you with the much harder job of discovering, clarifying, and communicating what is important to you in the face of serious illness.

American Bar Association
Website: http://www.americanbar.org
The American Bar Association offers important information on a variety of legal topics including finances, home ownership and protection, family and elder rights, workplace issues and several other topics.

Many of our documents are available in PDF format. To read PDF files, Adobe Acrobat Reader® software must be installed on your computer. Download Acrobat Reader (free version).