As you can see from our website, the professionals at The Potter Law Firm are highly committed to educating their clients and the residents of Ashland, as well as the state of Kentucky. We offer a comprehensive electronic library of special reports covering numerous estate planning and elder law issues. We also update our blog regularly in order to provide updates on the ever-changing laws in this field. Finally, our free estate planning and elder law seminars are always a go-to source for information. It is our desire that residents of Ashland and all of Kentucky stay informed. Below, you will find several links to useful resources relating to Elder Law.
Senior Health Care Benefits for Ashland Residents
Medicare: Medicare covers a large portion of senior medical costs, but there are very specific guidelines for eligibility. To check if you are eligible, take a look at the Medicare Eligibility Tool from www.medicare.gov. Additionally, be sure to check out Health Plan One which offers more than four Medicare plans to Ashland residents.
Medicaid: Medicaid, a more income-based coverage, like Medicare, has stringent eligibility guidelines. For more information on these guidelines please visit this Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services.
Ashland Elderly Assistance Resources
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services is an important resource for Seniors. It serves as the home to most of the state’s human services and health care programs, including Medicaid, the Department for Community Based Services and the Department for Public Health. The Cabinet is one of the largest agencies in the state of Kentucky, with nearly 8,000 full and part-time employees.
Some of the Services Provided for Seniors by the Cabinet
- Adult Day Care
- Home Care
- Medicaid
- Kentucky Prescription Assistance Program
Mental Health Resources
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services also provide Alzheimer’s Respite, a program of supervision and care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. This service provides temporary relief from caregiving duties.
Protection from abuse and fraud
The unfortunate reality is that adults are often abused, either physically or mentally by others. The abuse is not always intentional, but it does happen. If you or a loved one is experiencing such abuse, there are resources available to help you. The Division of Fraud, Waste and Abuse/Identification and Prevention is another resource which is responsible for planning, developing, and directing agency efforts to identify and prevent fraud, waste and abuse in the Medicaid program, and all other welfare programs administered by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Various other forms of assistance
Medical Transportation services are provided for non-emergency transportation. Personal Care Attendant services are available for individuals 18 and older with functional loss of two or more limbs and who have the ability to hire and supervise an attendant. Also, individuals age 55 and older who are below 125 percent of the federal poverty level and who need training, subsidized employment and help with job placement, can receive Senior Employment services.
Links to various senior resources in Kentucky
- Aging and Disability Resource Center Program (ADRC)
- Aging Network
- Adult Day Care and Alzheimer’s Disease Respite
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Council
- Assisted Living Community Information and Certification
- Caregiver Support Services
- Chronic Disease Self-Management Program
- Elder Abuse Prevention
- Guardianship
- Hart-Supported Living
- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- Homecare
- Institute for Aging
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman
- Nutrition Program for the Elderly
- Participant Directed Services (PDS), formerly Consumer Directed Options (CDO)
- Personal Care Attendant Program
- Senior Citizen Centers
- Senior Community Service Employment Program
- State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)
- Traumatic Brain Injury Trust Fund
- The Traumatic Brain Injury Behavioral Program
How can an Ashland elder law attorney help you?
Attorneys can focus on specific areas of practice just as physicians do. In fact, there are so many different types of attorneys practicing in different legal fields that some clients are not even aware of the availability of elder law attorneys. An Ashland elder law attorney mainly handles legal matters relating to seniors or the aging community. This can include estate planning, retirement, nursing home and Medicaid issues.
An Ashland elder law attorney has special training and experience
Elder law attorneys receive specific training and knowledge in the relevant legal issues that seniors regularly face, which makes them better able to understand and meet the needs of their elder clients and their families. Elder law attorneys are also proficient at anticipating potential problems facing seniors. Basically, the practice of elder law requires legal advocacy, education, counseling and future planning.
Familiarity with the legal issues facing seniors today
One talent an elder law attorney should have is creating and maintaining a working knowledge of the common issues facing seniors in our society. With that comes the ability to wade through the common misconceptions regarding aging and competency.
An elder law attorney needs to know how to identify the actual challenges seniors face, whether physical or mental, and balance those challenges with the need for freedom and autonomy. It is important for these attorneys to stay current on the laws that may affect our aging population. It is equally important to maintain connections with the various other professionals who routinely provide services to seniors. The practice of elder law goes beyond drafting legal documents.
If you have questions regarding elder law matters, please contact the experienced attorneys at The Potter Law Firm for a consultation. You can contact us either online or by calling us at (606) 324-5516 (Ashland, KY) or (859) 372-6655 (Florence, KY) or for individuals in North Carolina at (704) 944-3245 (Charlotte, NC, and Huntersville, NC).
