Family & Caregivers

Legal Services and Resources

General Information
Legal Resources
Accessing Legal Resources

General Information

Guide to Legal Issues for Pennsylvania Senior Citizens (pdf file)
This guide offers basic information so older adults can make important decisions regarding their independence, finances, and government benefits. The guide also aims to help older adults protect themselves against people who want to deceive, exploit, or defraud and to inform older adults on the various legal services and advice available to them. The guide includes information such as:

Property Tax and Rent Rebates

Estate Planning

Advance Health Care Declarations—like Living Wills (pdf file)

Medical Insurance Benefits and Rights

Low-Cost Legal Services

Elder Abuse and Neglect

Eldercare at Home: Advance Directives
Provided by the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging, this information helps promote an understanding of the importance of advance directives, offers suggestions to identify when help is needed, and provides guidance when changes are needed.

Consumer’s Took Kit for Health Care Advance Planning
Provided by the American Bar Association, the Consumer’s Tool Kit for Health Care Advance Planning contains a variety of worksheets, suggestions, and resources to assist with planning. Although the tool kit does not create a formal advance directive for you, it helps you with the much harder job of discovering, clarifying, and communicating what is important to you in the face of serious illness.

ABA LawInfo.org
LawInfo.org, provided by the American Bar Association, offers important information on a variety of legal topics including finances, home ownership and protection, family and elder rights, workplace issues and several other topics.

Many of our documents are available in PDF format. To read PDF files, Adobe Acrobat Reader® software must be installed on your computer. Download Acrobat Reader (free version).

Accessing Legal Resources

AARP Legal Solutions
Website:	http://www.aarp.org/legalsolutions/
Description:	Provides a glossary of legal terms, information on frequently asked questions, self-help guides, and assistance in locating legal services. For AARP services, AARP Legal Services Network attorneys provide free and reduced-fee legal services. Older Pennsylvanians (age 50 and older) can receive legal advice and/or referrals to local participating lawyers for services by calling the AARP Legal Advice Line 800-262-5297. For AARP. Ask the AARP Representative to explain any charges for services.

National Association of Elder Law Attorneys
Website:	http://www.naela.org/
Description:	Offers a directory of local Elder Law Attorneys and important questions to ask.

National Legal Aid and Defender Association
Website:	http://www.nlada.org/
Description:	Offers a directory of local legal aid offices and clinics.

Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) 100 South Street PO Box 186 Harrisburg, PA 17108-0186
Website:	http://www.pabar.org/
Description:	The PBA Senior Lawyers Committee has published A Guide to Legal Issues for Pennsylvania Senior Citizens, which provides valuable information to senior citizens on a variety of legal topics. A Legal Referral Service (LRS) operates Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be reached by calling (800) 692-7375 or (717) 238-6807. Ask the Legal Referral Services representative to explain any charges for services.

Pennsylvania Health Law Project
Website:	http://www.phlp.org/
Description:	Provides information on access to health care for low-income consumers, the elderly and persons with disabilities. Provides both direct advocacy on behalf of individuals and advocacy for health policy changes.

Pennsylvania Legal Services Organizations
Website:	http://www.palegalservices.org/
Description:	Provides general information on important legal issues and offers specialty programs that provide services to specific client groups (i.e. individuals with low incomes, individuals within institutions).

Overview, Mission, and Goals | Website Terms of Use