Little Legal Handbook for Older Vermonters

Decisions, decisions, decisions! Who will manage my health care, finances and property if I no longer can? If I die without a will, what happens to my property? What do I do if I feel I am being discriminated against in the process of looking for housing?

Many Vermonters aged 60 and over are often faced with making legal decisions about a variety of issues. The Champlain Valley Agency on Aging, through generous funding by the Vermont Bar Association, is pleased to provide "The Little Legal Handbook for Older Vermonters."

The Handbook is designed to provide practical, basic legal information on a variety of topics, along with pointers on where to go to find out more. Such topics include durable power of attorney for health care; guardianship; wills; age discrimination and consumer tips.

Brian Sawyer, Elder Law Unit Director at Vermont Legal Aid sees a growing evidence of financial exploitation that seniors often face at the hands of people they know. A durable power of attorney is a document that lets you give someone the legal right to act on your behalf. However, if not done carefully, the procedures put in place can allow for financial misuse.

"Durable" itself means that this chosen person can take over, if you become physically or mentally disabled and cannot act for yourself. "This is where you need to choose a person you fully trust." Sawyer emphasizes "The booklet gives you tools to carefully plan who and how they will manage the business of your life according to your wishes."

While this publication is a good starting place to get information about legal issues, it is not the final word on any of the topics covered. The information contained in the booklet can’t replace the advice of an attorney or cover the complexity of programs like Medicare or Long Term Care insurance. There is a section in the booklet that discusses how to find the right lawyer.

So whether you presently have a legal issue or perhaps don’t realize there may be issues which you need to be concerned about, "The Little Legal Handbook for Older Vermonters" is a good place to begin. The booklet is available free of charge by calling the Senior HelpLine toll free at: 1-800-642-5119 (V/TTY).