Solicitors for the Elderly
Care plans are an important consideration when you (or a loved one) start to lose capacity. There are many ways of funding care and it is important to know what options are available to you and how they can be accessed.
The Solicitors for the Elderly website says:-
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SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly) was set up in 1996 and set out to be a specialist group of lawyers to support and make a difference to older and vulnerable people. By vulnerable we mean people who may not be able bodied and/or who may be mentality incapacitated i.e. they need help to make decisions or they can’t make decisions for themselves.
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SFE is now a national organisation with over 1600 members across the United Kingdom and a separate group in the Republic of Ireland, all of whom are fully committed to our ethos.
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We support our members by providing them with expert training and best practice: keep them up to date with any market developments; promote them through our website and press coverage; help them to help each other through our members advice forum as well as running national and regional events and keeping them up to date with the latest case law related to older clients.
Membership to SFE is entirely voluntary. This means that our members are truly dedicated to this field as they are already highly qualified, regulated and insured before they join us!
Kelly Collier is a member of Solicitors for the Elderly and has been awarded the SFE Older Client Care in Practice Award. Solicitors for the Elderly is a specialist organisation for legal advisers who wish to set themselves apart as specialist advisers of the elderly and vulnerable. The skills she has learned over her 20 years of practicing mean that she is uniquely placed to advise her clients. She is trained in older client care. She can consider the mental and physical difficulties which can affect older and vulnerable clients and is aware of the health and social problems that people may face.
For more information about Solicitors for the Elderly look at their website www.sfe.legal
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Our team specialise in care planning advice and are here to help guide you through the assessment process. We hand pick agencies and staff to provide care and build a package around you and your needs.
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It is not just the practical care that we help with. We also help coordinate the essentials (dental care, optician visits, chiropody, hospital and doctor visits), and the luxury (hairdressing, manicures, pedicures, and general pampering) within our care support packages.
frequently asked questions
What can go into your will?
Each Will is unique but here are some examples of what yours might include:
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Name of your executor (who will manage the Will)
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Any Legal Guardians for your children
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Your funeral wishes/arrangements
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Personal assets (e.g. jewellery, cars, pictures)
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Financial assets (money in the bank accounts, any property you own)
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Name your beneficiaries (who you are leaving your assets to)
Why do I need a Will?
"Working with Argo has been calm, straightforward and incredibly reassuring. I could not recommend them highly enough"
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- Mrs Normal, Maidstone
You decide when you make a Will who you leave your assets to. As soon as you begin to save, purchase your first home, have your first child or inherit money a Will becomes essential.
Without a Will you have no say in how your estate will be dealt with and instead, your assets will be divided according to the law. Your family may not end up with all that you wish or their future may be complicated by assets going elsewhere.
As long as you are able to give instructions and have capacity to make a Will you can. You decide who will be your executor, who will be the guardian of your young children, who you leave your personal items to and all of your other assets.
Do I need a lawyer to write my Will?
It is not essential for a lawyer to write your Will. However, the value that a lawyer brings to making a Will is the advice they provide in relation to taxation, care planning, conflict of interest and practicalities.
They are also familiar with the terminology that is used to interpret Wills by the Courts so can add valuable insight into what could be the difference between a valid Will or an invalid Will.
Where does my Will live?
We hold on to all the Wills so that it is safely kept. All our newly written Wills are also added to the National Will Register.
What should I never put in my Will?
Have you
listened to our podcast?
Have you read our
Care Planning Blog?
Always carefully word gifts in your will to avoid giving something away that you might not have at your death (E.g. a bank account that may close before you die).
Your Will is a private document so anything that you write in it remains confidential. However, once a Grant of Probate has been issued it becomes a public document which means that anyone can apply to the Probate Registry for a copy. Therefore, it’s best not to include any sensitive reasons as to your thoughts; you don't want the world to see you airing your family disputes in public.
It is best to leave out a clause in your will that goes into detail about why you have excluded a beneficiary from your estate. These are often sensitive issues. By all means, you can say that you have specifically excluded a beneficiary but if you feel the need to tell people why, do this in a separate letter to your executors which sits with your will.