Rothkoff Law Group follows a unique care-first approach to elder law, allowing Elder Care Coordinators (ECCs) to help our clients navigate the long-term care maze while advocating for their needs. The Elder Care Coordinators generally come from a background in long-term care, such as a subacute community, hospital, or local area agency on aging.
When introducing ourselves and our roles, it is often received with an intrigued look along with, “What would a care coordinator do in a law firm?”
The Elder Care Coordinators, in conjunction with other members of the firm, assist clients and their families in making certain that they are receiving the best care possible. Often our clients seek our help and advice when they are facing a sudden change in their situation. This could be an unexpected fall, hospitalization, or perhaps they received a new diagnosis of dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, or another progressive disease. During these challenging times, the client and/or their family are facing not only the difficulty of addressing their care needs but also figuring out the financial impact and costs involved.
Our team of Elder Care Coordinators meets with the client and/or their family to assess the current situation. By doing so, we evaluate the appropriateness of their current environment, identify the difficulties that they are facing or may experience as their needs change, and help them explore alternative resources to ensure their overall care needs continue to be met. We educate the families we serve about their options by discussing the various levels of care. These can include nursing homes, assisted living, home care, hospice, and adult day programs, among many others. With their specific knowledge about the long-term care continuum, the ECC can identify more “outside the box” but much-needed resources as well. Such resources might be finding a home-visiting hairdresser, referring to a music therapist, or helping relocate the client’s dog when the owner transitions to another setting.
The care needs of our clients are what drive the attorney’s planning in order to identify a means to pay for their care. This may include accessing the public benefits of Medicaid, Veteran’s Benefits, initiating a claim for their long-term care insurance, or utilizing the proceeds of their home. The ECC remains very involved throughout the client’s relationship with the firm. We believe in and encourage ongoing communication as a method to best support and advocate for our clients. Communicating on a consistent basis about care-related changes, questions, or concerns allows us to ensure that we are supporting the client and their loved ones through each transition in the way all people deserve to age.
For additional resources, click here to request your copy of our New Jersey and Pennsylvania Resource Guides for seniors.