Long-term care planning including nursing home issues such as quality of
care, admissions contracts, prevention of spousal impoverishment, and
resident's rights. It also includes life care or retirement community
issues such as evaluating the proposed plan/contract.

Retirement issues including Social Security (retirement and disability
and survivors' benefits) and other public pensions (veterans, civil
service) and benefits as well as private pension benefits.

Health care issues including Medicare, Medicaid, Medigap insurance, and
long-term care insurance.

Housing issues including home equity conversion and age discrimination.

Planning for possible incapacity through choosing in advance how health
care and financial decisions will be made if you are unable to do so
(methods include durable powers of attorney, health-care powers of
attorney, living wills, and other means of delegating the
decisionmaking). The attorney may also be able to advise on
conservatorship and guardianship proceedings in the event that the elder
has not planned for incapacity.

Age discrimination issues including bringing cases under the Age
Discrimination in Employment Act.

3. Do I need an elderlaw specialist?