This document summarizes a presentation on legal planning tools for empowering older adults, aging caregivers, and people with disabilities. The presentation addresses key questions around transition points, preparing for future care, elements of future plans, challenges of family conversations, legal roles and responsibilities, supported decision making, importance of advance planning for aging parents, considerations for estate plans, resources for money management, family caregiver support, finding an attorney, and examples of outreach partnerships. The presentation aims to help families address important legal, financial, and care planning issues.

1. Legal Planning:
Tools for Empowering Older Adults, Aging Caregivers and
People with Disabilities

2. Loretta Morris Williams, J.D., CELA
Senior Associate Attorney, HALE BALL, PLC
Rikki S. Epstein, M.Ed.
Executive Director, The Arc of Northern Virginia
Erica Wood, J.D.
Assistant Director, ABA Commission
on Law and Aging
Sally Balch Hurme, J.D.
Consultant and Author

3. What are the transition points for
parents and caregivers of
individuals with disabilities?

4. How prepared are parents and caregivers
of adult children with disabilities in
planning for the care of their loved one
when they are no longer able to provide it?

5. What elements should be in the
future plan for the whole family?

6. What are the challenges when trying to talk about
what will happen when one or both parents are gone?
How do you start these important conversations?
How do you include the son or daughter, other family
members and future caregivers?

7. In addition to being a “parent” or “child,” there may be
other legal roles. Let’s talk about each one to explain
what it is, the responsibilities that come with the role,
how best to involve the individual in decisions that need
to be made, and how to transfer that role to another.

8. Health Care Power of Attorney

9. Financial Power of Attorney

10. Representative Payee

11. Trustee

12. Guardian / Conservator

13. What is supported decision making
and how does it influence all of these
other types of legal roles?

14. Why is it important for aging parents
of individuals with disabilities to do
advance planning?

15. What do aging parents especially
need to consider when creating
their estate plan?

16. What special resources are available
to those who have the responsibility
to manage someone else’s money?

17. How would Family Caregivers be
useful to aging parents and/or
future caregivers?

18. Where can parents and families find
an attorney to help with planning and
getting their legal documents in order?

19. What are examples of partnerships and
outreach activities that have been
established to share information about these
critical topics to parents and caregivers?

20. Questions?