Topics of 18 workshops range from housing options to long-term care
Attorneys and certified financial planners will offer free advice on elder law topics such as housing options, wills and trusts, ways to pay for long-term care and how to put your estate in order at the 13th Annual Senior Law Day in Westchester. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 18 at the Westchester County Center, 198 Central Ave., White Plains.
Eighteen workshops – including two in Spanish – will be led by elder law attorneys, certified financial planners and professionals from agencies that serve older adults and their families.
A new topic this year will be the impact of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act on health insurance and Medicare. There will also be an update on recent changes to estate and income tax laws.
Once again, Senior Law Day will offer free, one-on-one, 15-minute consultations with attorneys and financial planners and – for the first time this year – with geriatric care managers.
Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino said that Senior Law Day is one of the finest programs the county offers, and he encourages all seniors and their families to attend.
“This outstanding program should not be missed,” Astorino said. “It’s important for seniors to be informed about their rights and finances at any time. But it’s especially crucial in today’s economy. Seniors must know how to protect themselves and their assets.”
Senior Law Day is presented by the Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services (DSPS), the Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services and the Ninth Judicial District of the New York State Office of Court Administration.
DSPS Commissioner Mae Carpenter said Senior Law Day is a major part of the county’s Livable Communities initiative, which aims to enable seniors to remain in their homes as they age with dignity, independence and civic involvement.
“Programs like Senior Law Day inform seniors of their rights and how to deal with their finances,” Carpenter said “It can make all the difference in the world as to whether they can continue to grow older in their homes and communities or have to move elsewhere.”
Carpenter said that since Senior Law Day began, more than 2,800 seniors have learned about their rights.
To register for Senior Law Day, call (914) 813-6400 or sign up at www.westchestergov.com/seniors. There is no registration for individual workshops. Registration for the free consultations will take place at the event.
Free copies of the updated “Elder Law Q&A: Answers to Questions about Estate and Financial Planning and Elder Abuse” will be distributed in English and Spanish.
Steven Schurkman, Esq., a partner with Keane & Beane PC in White Plains, is chair of Senior Law Day
in Westchester as well as other senior law education events with two or three workshops held throughout the county. Some of these events take place in the early evening.
The workshops to be presented in the program at the County Center are:
SESSION ONE WORKSHOPS: (9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.)
· Estate Planning/Elder Law 101: Preserving your assets
· Benefit From Your Benefits: Veteran’s benefits, Social Security
· Impact of the New Affordable Care Act: Health care, health insurance and Medicare
· Senior Crime Busters/Smart Seniors: Avoiding identity theft, scams and fraud; discussion of elder abuse
· Planning in Advance for Financial Security: New York State’s power of attorney law, use of guardianships
· Housing Options: Independent living, assisted living, use of reverse mortgages
· Planning in Advance for Health Care: Health care proxies, medical orders for life-sustaining treatment, the new Palliative Care Information Act
· Wills vs.Trusts: What to do when someone dies
· For Spanish-Speaking Seniors: Medicare issues
SESSION TWO WORKSHOPS: (11 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
· Financial Planning Basics: Ensuring your money lasts throughout your retirement
· Paying for Long-Term Care: Planning with or without long-term care insurance
· Put Your Estate and Financial Plan in Order: Avoid the 10 biggest mistakes
· Planning for the Care of a Loved One: Legal issues, care considerations, hospice care
· Planning for Unmarried Couples in New York: Estate, tax and Medicaid considerations
· Planning in Advance for Financial Security: New York State’s power of attorney law, use of guardianships
· For Spanish-Speaking Seniors: Wills, trusts, elder law, Smart Seniors
SESSION THREE WORKSHOP: (12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.)
· Estate Planning/Elder Law 101: Preserving your assets
FREE, 15-MINUTE CONSULTATIONS: (12:15 p.m. – 2 p.m.)
· With attorneys, financial planners and geriatric care managers
Sponsors of Senior Law Day in Westchester are Aetna Medicare; Amoruso & Amoruso, LLP; The Collaborative for Palliative Care, Cuddy & Feder, LLP; Anthony J. DeVito, PhD., CFP, NAPFA-registered financial adviser; Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP; Financial Advisory Network; Financial Planning Association of the Greater Hudson Valley; Glassman & Brown, LLP; Hebrew Home at Riverdale; Hyman & Gilbert, Keane & Beane, PC; Laidlaw Firm, attorneys, PLLC; Littman, Krooks, LLP; McLaughlin & Zerafa, LLP; MetLife Financial Solutions; Valorie Joy Promisel, Esq; Walsh, Amicucci & Pantaleo, LLP.
