Our Story

Are you a healthy senior wanting to get your “ducks in a row” with an estate plan that helps you achieve your unique goals?

Or, maybe you’re caring for a loved one with chronic healthcare needs, mobility issues, or memory problems?

Do you wish it were easier to plan for the future and ensure your family doesn’t end up out of money and out of options?

You may feel confused and frustrated by the prospect of putting together an estate plan… yet the help you need is closer than you think.

You already know that an estate plan is important for you to have. If you’re a healthy, vigorous senior who wants to be sure you’re protected from devastating nursing home costs and other dangers that wait in the shadows to swallow up your life savings, you’re in the right place.

Working with an experienced, Certified Elder Law Attorney can save you thousands – even hundreds of thousands – of dollars and years of heartache down the road.

Families sometimes come to me after they failed to put together a powerful plan. They wind up feeling lost and alone, while they try to pay for care, bleeding money at a rate of $7,000 or $10,000 per month because of a dread diagnosis, or families torn apart arguing over how best to treat their family member.

We help these families, but so much heartache and huge amounts of money could have been saved had they put together a powerful plan before disaster struck.

That’s the problem – not every plan is powerful enough to protect you! Even more importantly – you must have a plan that protects your beloved spouse and loved ones if you become unable to make decisions or pass away suddenly.

Too many families have an out-dated will or estate plan, or put together a do-it-yourself estate plan with papers they printed off the internet. Big promises are made by the companies that provide them, but rarely do they contain the protections or benefits that a plan unique to your family can give you.

That’s why hundreds of North Carolina families flock to The Elderlaw Firm every year. We listen to our client’s wishes and put together a plan that helps you achieve your goals. Our clients may want to,

• safeguard their money so that they won’t end up out of money and out of options during their lifetimes
• protect their spouse financially in the event of their death
• help a loved one with college tuition
• give to their church or favorite charity
• provide for a child or grandchild with special needs
• even make sure their pet is taken care of if they become incapacitated
• protect some of their estate from the devastating cost of Alzheimer’s or other crippling diagnosis

I’m Elder Law Attorney Dennis Toman, and I believe I was called to Elder Law to help seniors in my community. Every family’s situation is different, but the emotional, financial and physical burdens that go along with caring for an aging and ill parent or loved one are universal. I began working in Elder Law in 2005, after a frantic phone call from a close friend.

“Bob’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s,” she told me.

“What are we going to do?

Am I going to lose my home?

Are we going to lose everything?”

The truth was, at that time I didn’t know the answer. But I helped them find a qualified Elder Law attorney who showed them that they didn’t have to lose their home. Even better, they qualified for benefits to pay for care because of Bob’s service in the armed forces.

That’s when I felt – and my wife knew – that the next best step for me was to apply my law degree to the area of Elder Law. Many years later, I can now say that we’ve helped hundreds of families put plans in place to help them gain peace of mind and save them years of heartache.

Maybe your family is already facing a dreaded diagnosis…

Your family may not have to spend everything on long term care and other healthcare needs.

Many of our clients come to us because they know there are benefits out there to help pay for care, but they’re not sure how to go about applying for them.

Still others find that there are ways to help preserve some of their life savings – and even stay at home longer – when they thought they would lose everything!
For those that long for a trusted guide along the Elder Care Journey, the ElderLaw Firmcan help you find the safest path. Each family’s situation is different,
and we help our North Carolina clients reach their goals whenever possible.

Just a few of the situations we see every day:

• A family member is suffering from memory problems, dementia or Alzheimer’s
• Parents who want to provide for a vulnerable child with destructive lifestyle choices
• A loved one has just entered a nursing home, or may soon need nursing care, and their family doesn’t know how they’ll be able to shoulder the overwhelming costs
• Healthy, vigorous seniors want to put a plan in place in case they’re one of the 70% of aging Americans who will spend time in a nursing home
• Folks want to ensure their special-needs child or grandchild has the best opportunities and is provided for in the future
• An aging veteran wants to stay at home longer, but needs help paying for care
• A parent wants to provide for a child who’s gone astray without risking a misuse of the assets that are there to aid them

We’re here to help you find the safest path along your journey. Over the years, hundreds of families have come The Elderlaw Firm to find assistance with the maze of applying for Medicaid and Veteran’s benefits, or to put measures in place so that loved ones can live with dignity instead of becoming destitute.
At The Elderlaw Firm, my staff and I work to help North Carolina families find honest, ethical solutions for their legal and financial issues in the area of Elder Law. We also help to connect them with resources in the community to ease their caregiving burdens.

If you or a loved one are beginning to have memory or mobility issues, it may be time to start planning. There are virtually always more options available to you when you start planning early.

But if you’re already well past the beginning – if your family already is in crisis – the time to call is now.

It may not be too late!

You may have been told by a social worker or friend that there’s nothing left to do. While they may mean well, you likely need an adviser that works in the field of Elder Law every day to help you discover your options.

We’ll let you know what the next steps may be. And if you don’t need to do anything at this time – we’ll tell you that, too.

We use only honest, legal solutions to help you reach the best possible outcome, so that you and your loved ones can have peace of mind.

It might be memory problems or Alzheimer’s, Lou Gherig’s Disease (ALS), Multiple Sclerosis, a stroke, Parkinson’s, or one of many other common health issues that can arise as we age. We’re here to offer options for care – and show you how you may qualify for help paying for that care.

There may be options available to you.

If it’s planning for an assisted living or nursing home stay, or to allow your loved one to stay at home longer, there may be resources available to make that possible.
What’s more, in many cases, there is help to pay for nursing care… if you understand the rules about when and how the application should be filled out.

Contact my office to find out what steps may be available for you to take, right now. The sooner you act, the easier it is to safely find your way on the complex, and sometimes precarious, path of the Elder Care Journey.

Put your mind at ease – it costs nothing to find out what options are available to you.

That’s right – your first consultation is absolutely free!

Find out what plans you can put in place to help make your life better, today.

You don’t need to walk this path alone.

We’ve been there before, and we can help you find the safest way.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Toman