Elder Abuse

California has elder abuse statutes to protect the elderly from a myriad of physical, financial, emotional and other types of abusive situations.

In California, an elder is considered anyone age 65 or older.

This group of statutes is commonly known as Elder And Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act.  To read the statutes directly, click here and scroll to Chapter 11.

One of the key things when approaching the topic of elder abuse is prevention.

It can happen to the best of us.

Here are some things to consider and have in place for yourself and your loved ones to prevent elder abuse from occurring:

1. Advance Health Care Directive – provides for care in accordance to your wishes and nominates conservator in case one is needed for your care.
2. Revocable Trust – you can choose your successor trustee to handle your assets privately, save  money on probate fees and costs, save an enormous amount of time and a good trust will contain a no contest clause.
   
3. Durable Power of Attorney – you can choose who you want to manage your financial affairs if you are alive but unable to do so.
   
4. Will – functions as a back up to your Revocable Trust and should contain a no contest clause.
5. And most importantly, have someone on your side who cares about you. This is often the most critical component as it may require to have a loved one always on the look out for your best interests.

Talk to your estate planning attorney for more information.