May 5, 2022 by Clarissa Ayala
May is the Administration for Community Living’s Older Americans Month 2022
Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s annual celebration of Older Americans Month (OAM). In 2022, ACL will focus on aging in place – how older adults can plan to stay in their homes and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. By 2040, more than 1 in 5 Texans is projected to be 65 and older. Now is the time to enhance services for older adults, especially victims of abuse and financial exploitation.
For many people, becoming an older adult brings newfound freedom and benefits: grown children, impending retirement, exploring new interests, travel, and more time for self-care. But just as often, older adulthood can bring challenges to safety, independence, self-determination, and financial security.
Older adults often do not know that their needs are legal, and they are not fully aware of their legal rights and responsibilities or options available to resolve their legal issues. Corrupt caretakers and fears of repercussions may also prevent older Americans from asking for and getting legal help. Too often, they do not have access to an attorney or meaningful access to the courts. When they try to resolve legal problems on their own, they face an overwhelming legal system with regulations, rules, procedures, complex terminology, deadlines, and necessary document filings.
Lone Star Legal Aid’s Justice for Older Adults Project is aimed at assisting older adults living in 25 high-poverty counties. This advocacy initiative serves older adults facing various civil legal issues, like:
- Protection orders;
- Divorces;
- Securing, challenging, limiting, or terminating guardianships;
- Instituting and revoking powers of attorney;
- Recovering assets;
- Restoration of public benefits;
- Creating trusts; evicting an abusive caregiver;
- Modifying and voiding legal instruments;
- Removal of social security representative payees for funds mismanagement and abuse of fiduciary duties;
- Identity theft and debt collection;
- Unlawful nursing home discharges; and
- Deceptive and unfair business practices.
TX Counties Served by Project: Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Marion, Nacogdoches, Newton, Tyler, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood.
As part of our Justice for Older Adults Project, we began a monthly blog series aimed at providing free legal information for older adults.
Check out the blogs we’ve published so far:
- Protecting Older Adults from Identity Theft During Tax Season
- Protecting Older Americans from Foreclosure Rescue Scams
Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations. Lone Star Legal Aid serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines that reside in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties of Southwest Arkansas. Lone Star Legal Aid focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety and stability, health and well-being; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, or who are elderly, homeless, or have limited English language skills. Lone Star Legal Aid does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at https://www.lonestarlegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org
