March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 50 F

5 Times When Seniors Need a Lawyer


As an older adult, there are certain times when you might need a lawyer. It’s often a smart idea to cultivate an attorney relationship when you’re younger, but it’s never too late to find a new one, even during your later years. Let’s talk about a few of the more common reasons that older adults need lawyers.

When You Get in a Car Accident

As an older adult, you might not see or hear as well as you used to. Still, you might be reluctant to stop driving. You’ve probably driven for many decades, and the idea of giving up your license or selling your car doesn’t exactly make you happy.

Maybe you caused an accident, and you’re not sure who to turn to or what to do. After contacting your insurance company, you should next reach out to a car accident lawyer. There are some great ones who can guide you through a legal defense if you’re facing a civil action because of what happened.

Perhaps the accident was the other driver’s fault. You should still get a lawyer, particularly to prevent the other driver’s insurance company from trying some devious tactics to get you to accept less money than fixing your car will cost. That’s never the sort of thing you want to handle on your own.

If You’re Making Out Your Will

As an older adult, your demise is not something about which you necessarily want to think. All of us are mortal, though, and you probably want to be sure that you divide up all your money and assets in the way that you feel makes the most sense.

If you have kids and grandkids whom you love, you will likely want to leave the bulk of your accumulated wealth to them. You might have a cherished car that you want to give to a friend, or you might have some valuable artwork or memorabilia that you want to give to your relatives. You may want to leave it to a museum in some cases.

If you don’t have a family to whom you’d like to leave your money, maybe you want to give it to some organization instead. Perhaps you care about women’s reproductive rights, and you want to leave Planned Parenthood some money. Maybe you want to leave the Anne Arundel County SPCA some money because you love animals so much.

Whatever you choose, you want everything to be nice and legal. You don’t want your family squabbling over your money and possessions once you’re gone. You’ll also probably want to write down whether you want burial, cremation, or to leave your body to science.

If You’re Suffering Elder Abuse

Elder abuse is something that happens far too often. It can occur if you’re living in a retirement community or an assisted living facility. A family member or a live-in nurse might abuse you as well.

That abuse might be verbal, sexual, physical, or psychological. The person in question might kick, slap, or scratch you. They might scream at you, deprive you of your medication, or keep you from eating regular meals.

It’s unfortunate that this sort of thing occurs, but there are some cruel individuals in the world, and if you’re capable of it, you need to fight back. Hiring a lawyer is a good first step when you take legal action against them.

You should also try to gather as much evidence as you can. You can take pictures of marks on your body, or you can try to set up a camera and get a video of the abuse as it goes on. You and your lawyer can use that to bring criminal charges against the person who is hurting you.

If You’re Having an Argument with Your Neighbor

You might have a neighbor with whom you don’t get along. Maybe you’ve lived next to the same person or family for many years, and there have always been issues between you.

If that happens, you may want to get a lawyer if you feel like that neighbor has crossed the line and is doing anything illegal. Maybe they came onto your property and stole something from you. Perhaps they vandalized your home.

With your lawyer’s help, you can pursue legal action against the offending person or family. These situations can get ugly fast, and you should seek an attorney’s aid rather than attempting to sort the feud out on your own.

You want the law to be on your side when you take action. If you lose your temper and retaliate on your own, that’s probably not going to go well.

If You Have an Employment Age Discrimination Suit

You might also need to hire an attorney if you’re an older adult and you want to continue working. However, your job is trying to force you out because they want someone younger.

Some jobs want you to retire when you reach a certain age. In most instances, though, it’s not legal for them to force you out unless your job requires particular skills or actions that you can no longer perform.

Generally, you can bring an age discrimination lawsuit against an employer who wants you gone because of your age, but you’re still capable of performing your work competently. You’ll need a lawyer if your lawsuit is going to get anywhere, though. You probably don’t know the law well enough to represent yourself if the case goes to trial. This is best suited for an expert in employment law like Wyllie Spears and you can check out their website for more information about hiring them.

As an older adult, there are other instances where you’ll need a lawyer. You might face a probate or Medicaid issue. Maybe you’re dealing with guardianship or conservatorship situations.

Perhaps you need social security or disability help. Maybe you need fraud recovery assistance if someone stole from you.

Remember that just because you’re an older individual, that does not mean you don’t have rights. Don’t let anyone push you around. You might have to get litigious, and you might not necessarily be eager to do that, but sometimes, you have no other alternative.

 

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