How Disability Can Effect Estate Planning In Pittsburgh

Estate planning involves more than just a concern about imminent death, but provides disability protection as well. It can help your family be protected if you ever become unable to maneuver in your usual way and you can no longer handle paying bills or managing your own affairs. The action of making someone you know and love a representative of your assets, can allow you to rest assured that your family and estate will be cared for if you become disabled.

Dementia: Common Incapacitating Disability

While it may seem saddening to think of disability and the potential of developing a condition, the fact is that many people have to struggle with this reality as they grow older. The most common disability that elderly men and women gain over time is the disability called dementia. This is a mental disease and it is considered one of the world’s fastest-growing epidemics. At present, there are approximately 24 million men and women living with dementia in the world and by the year 2040 experts suspect that there may be as many as 84 million who have age-related memory loss. Dementia often dulls a person’s mental capacity, meaning that it is often difficult for them to make large decisions, especially those concerning the state of their estate.

Dementia comes in many different forms, but the most common form in the United States is Alzheimer ’s disease. This is a memory-loss illness that causes the patient to fail to remember details, faces, and other facts of life. As a result, the elderly individual will often be declared to be unstable and not in a position to make serious choices about estate planning. According to one reported, there are more than five million Americans that are currently suffering from Alzheimer’s and about 13% of all Americans over the age of 65 have some form of the disease.

As well, half of those over the age of 85 develop either Alzheimer’s or another closely related form of dementia. Health analysts say that by the year 2017 there will be 7.7 Alzheimer’s patients in the United States, and by the year 2050 there may be as many as 16 million elderly individuals with the illness. This is because of the deteriorating health of Americans overall and their inability to exercise mental muscles throughout life. At least 10 million Baby Boomers will develop Alzheimer’s around the year 2030.

How “Disability” Is Classified

Under elder law and the state, the term disability has a specific legal meaning. The word’s legal meaning is important because it will affect the disability planning process and affects the administration of the estate. Our firm seeks to provide for a disabled person’s needs through whatever means we can to help our clients achieve their individual goals and meet their needs. To be considered disabled, you must not be able to perform any substantial labor and this disability will have to be considered permanent or seem to be leading to your death. It is important to plan ahead in case this situation creeps up on you. A Pittsburgh estate planning lawyer from our firm can help you prepare for your future by helping to prepare an estate plan that works for each individual and can be modified over time.

Hiring A Pittsburgh Estate Disability Attorney

While these facts may be saddening or terrifying, it is never too cautious for you to plan for the possibility of a disability. With precautions in place, you won’t need to worry about your future or the future of your state in the event that you are unable to make your own decisions. Temple & Frayer Law Office is able to assist in estate disability situations and can help you to draft the documents necessary to provide for this situation in the future. Our firm’s practice focuses on not only the events after death but also the events after a disability occurs.

We also focus on the planning of estates for individuals who may become disabled and the management of their estates after they are disabled. It is our goal to help you create a plan in advance that will help you avoid family quarrels during a loved one’s disability. At Temple & Frayer Law Office, we have the capability to take to heart your situation and approach it from an understanding angle. When you work with us, we can provide the one-on-one attention you need during this difficult time, so contact our firm today! You can also call 412-998-1197.