Adams County Elder Law Attorneys: Authoritative Guidance For Senior Care And Protection
Adams County is home to many young professionals and growing families. Long-term care planning for aging parents is not something most want to think about. However, planning ahead separates those who act from those who react. It gives your parents control over their future and spares your family from difficult and expensive decisions.
For over 25 years, Chayet & Danzo, LLC, has helped Adams County families prepare for what lies ahead. Our attorneys understand Colorado elder law inside and out, and they are more than ready to put that experience to work for you.
Shielding Your Family Estate From Extensive Long-Term Care Costs
Nursing home care in Colorado costs thousands of dollars per month. Without planning, even a high-value estate can drain away in just a few years. While Medicaid can cover these long-term care costs, qualifying is not simple.
As your Adams County elder law attorneys, our goal is to protect your family’s assets while ensuring your parent can access the care they need. We provide comprehensive planning and care coordination in Brighton, Thornton and throughout Adams County. The strategies we develop can include:
- Establishing trusts: Designing specific trusts to manage income and protect assets without jeopardizing your parent’s eligibility for Medicaid
- Conducting an insurance review: Ensuring that you are getting maximum benefits from existing insurance policies
- Providing guidance on gift and estate taxes: Advising on ways you can avoid penalties when transferring assets
- Restructuring assets: Guiding you on ways to preserve your assets while also complying with Medicaid’s five-year lookback rules
- Evaluating care facilities: Helping you find and secure appropriate placement in nursing homes and assisted living facilities
- Drafting durable powers of attorney: Creating documents that designate trusted decision-makers for healthcare and finances
- Preparing advance healthcare directives: Drafting documents that record your parent’s end-of-life treatment preferences
- Counseling on public benefits: Guiding you through applications and appeals for Medicaid, Social Security and other benefits
All these tools can work together. Some focus on preserving wealth, while others establish clear authority. We work on ensuring that your parent’s wishes guide decisions when they can no longer speak for themselves.
Protecting Your Loved One Through Guardianship And Conservatorship
There may come a time when your loved one can no longer make sound decisions. A fall can lead to confusion. Dementia progresses. Financial exploitation can occur. When these problems happen, families often need the court to appoint a guardian or conservator.
Our attorneys represent the following parties in Colorado guardianship proceedings.
- Incapacitated adults who deserve independent counsel and a voice in court
- Family members petitioning for guardianship or conservatorship
- Court-appointed guardians and conservators navigating fiduciary duties
- Fiduciaries facing allegations of mismanagement or breach of duty
These proceedings carry enormous weight. One of our principal attorneys, Marco D. Chayet, understands this from personal experience. During law school, his grandmother developed Alzheimer’s disease. Family disagreements over her care led to a court battle that reached Colorado’s appellate court.
The ruling for this case, Estate of Milstein v. Ayers, established due process protections for incapacitated adults in guardianship cases, now written into Colorado law. It ensures that alleged incapacitated persons have the right to independent counsel before a court strips away their decision-making authority. This legal legacy shapes our firm’s approach. Even when capacity diminishes, their dignity and rights remain.
Contact An Adams County Elder Law Attorney For A Free Consultation
Your family’s security and your parents’ dignity deserve experienced legal counsel. Call our office at 303-872-5980 to schedule a free consultation. You can also send us a message through our website. We serve Adams County, Brighton, Thornton and communities throughout Colorado.