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PREVENTIVE
EDUCATION
FROM
THE SENIOR LEGAL HOTLINE
We're a hotline, so
our main mission is to give seniors quick advice on how to solve legal
problems. But we like it even better when we can help prevent problems
before they occur. Here are some ways we can do that.
Here is
informational material
you can download. They are in PDF format and you will need
Acrobat
Reader to download.
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Our
Senior Legal
Checkup: This handy, two-page
document helps you record in one place important information about
important documents (wills; powers of attorney; birth and marriage certificates;
licenses; insurance policies; deeds; vehicle titles; checking, savings
and credit accounts; investment records) - numbers, expiration dates and
where they are kept. It also has space for the names and addresses of
important people in your life. It's meant to be posted on your refrigerator,
with copies given to trusted loved ones.
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A listing of
tax
breaks available for senior homeowners and renters. These can
help you stretch retirement dollars. There are income limits, but they're
not extremely low.
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A listing of
utility
discounts available to low-income seniors and energy
conservation tips.
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Your health care: Who will decide if
you can't? New choices, new forms under California's new
Health Care Decisions Law.
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New Higher Income Eligibility Levels for Medi-Cal
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Energy Deregulation:
Things to know and important questions to ask when selecting an
electric
service provider.
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Buyer beware!!! Energy
deregulation shams and scams
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Help
in managing your financial affairs
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Home improvement
scams
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Estate
planning myths and traps
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Money-Saving
Programs for Seniors
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Fraud alert: Fake "Legal Aid"
wants your money
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Paid family leave
can help at a time of need
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Mediation: An
alternative to court for dispute resolution
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Conservatorship
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Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
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Four things YOU can do to prevent falls
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You May Be Eligible for Reduced-Cost Phone
Service
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To get your 2008 'rebate,' you must file a tax
return
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Financial planning and retirement
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Grocery bill skyrocket -- but many seniors
can qualify for extra help
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How - and when - to 'freeze' your
credit file
We'll be adding more
to this list. Check it out next time you visit.
Hotline
outreach fliers - downloadable
You can help get the
word out about the hotline -- so other seniors will also gain access to
free legal assistance. Make copies for your friends; post them at your
local senior center, library, house of worship, etc.
Click
here to see what is available now.
Other legal materials:
Senior Guides:
The hotline has an extensive collection of informational fact sheets on
many of the topics about which we get questions. We are frequently adding
new ones and updating or improving some that we have. After we discuss
your question with you, we will offer to send you any relevant material
from our collection, either by U.S. mail or as an e-mail attachment.
Forms: We can
send you copies of forms that can help achieve what you need: simple wills,
powers of attorney, advanced health care decision forms, deeds, affidavits,
sample letters, some court forms and more. But because we want to make
sure we send you the right form and that you understand how to use it,
we require that you speak first with one of our advocates.
Self-help packets:
These consist of forms, along with instructions and in some cases, sample
court pleadings. We have them on a number of topics and intend to prepare
more. If one is appropriate for your situation, the advocate who speaks
to you will offer to send it.
For a list of these materials,
click
here.
Workshops/speaking
engagements:
Hotline advocates
can address your group on any number of subjects. In the Sacramento area,
talks can be scheduled easily; in other regions, we may be able to hold
a workshop in conjunction with other travel plans or as a result of occasional
special funding. Topics we find particularly useful in helping seniors
prevent problems include:
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Estate planning: Should
I care about avoiding probate, and if so, how do I?
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Powers of attorney:
What to consider and how to protect myself from abuse?
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Advanced health-care
directives: How to plan for disability under the new law?
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Thinking about long-term
care and how to pay for it: Private, insurance, Medicare, Medi-Cal
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Estate planning and
long-term care: Common scams and how to avoid them
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Grandparent rights
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Elder abuse prevention
Beware:
Many seminars for seniors, advertised in the paper, on TV or even at senior
centers, are given by people (including some lawyers) whose real motive
is to sell you something - fancy trusts you may not need, expensive
insurance products, annuities and more.
The Senior Legal
Hotline's services are free, and we are not in the business of selling
any such products. Therefore, you can rely on the information you receive
from our advocates, whether as individual advice or at a public seminar.
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