ABA Resources on Law and Aging

The American Bar Association offers a variety of resources on law and aging in electronic or print form.

NEWSLETTER
The ABA Commission on Law and Aging produces a bi-monthly electronic newsletter - Bifocal - that covers issues concerning aging and the law. The newsletter is distributed without charge six times a year in pdf format. You can find the most recent issue at http://www.abanet.org/aging/publications/bifocal.shtml.

Bifocal invites your bar association to share news and information about programs that benefit the elderly. Other bar associations can learn from your bar association's legal assistance initiatives, such as pro bono and reduced-fee programs, multi-disciplinary partnerships, and new resources for both professionals and consumers.

Bifocal also welcomes brief or substantive articles of interest to state area agencies on aging, bar association entities, legal services projects, law schools, and others in the law and aging network. Bifocal especially is interested in e-photos.

Manuscript guidelines and deadline information are available by contacting Jamie Philpotts at philpotj@staff.abanet.org.

To subscribe to Bifocal, email your name and professional affiliation to Trisha Bullock at bullockt@staff.abanet.org and include the word "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.

BOOKS
Additionally, the ABA has published a number of books to equip you with information to help guide preparations for elder care.
Available titles include:

» Advance Health Care Directives: A Handbook for Professionals, which addresses the complex issues surrounding end-of-life health care planning

» Estate Planning Strategies: A Lawyer's Guide to Retirement and Lifetime Planning, a guide designed to assist lawyers in estate planning for their clients

» End-of-Life Issues: A Primer on the Legal Landscape, a book that emphasizes the need for advance planning with clients of all ages

» Ethical Issues in Estate Planning: Avoiding Ethics Violations and Malpractice, a review of how the Model Rules of Professional Conduct will affect your estate planning practice.

» The American Bar Association Legal Guide for Americans Over 50, a handbook that offers advice on everything from choosing the best pension plan to finding affordable housing and appropriate eldercare. The 320-page reference manual also walks its readers through the processes of preparing wills, getting the most out of Medicare and Medicaid, and dealing with other legal issues of caring for aging parents.

» Assessment of Older Adults with Diminished Capacity: A Handbook for Lawyers, prepared by the ABA Commission on Law and Aging and the American Psychological Association.

The ABA Bookstore Web site offers information and pricing on these titles and more at www.ababooks.org

OTHER RESOURCES
Additional resources for the elderly and lawyers who serve them are available at http://www.abanet.org/aging/resources/usefullinks.shtml.