As people age, legal problems may emerge.   Health benefit programs (including MaineCare/Maine Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare supplemental insurance and long term care insurance), with layers of regulation, require complex paper work.  Long term care, especially nursing home care, may deplete life savings.   The need to plan for death or incapacity through Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directives becomes more pressing.

Attorneys Sally Wagley, Michael Levey and Patrice A. Putman provide legal assistance to older people and their families out of their law office in Winthrop, Maine, located halfway between the cities of Augusta and Lewiston. The firm takes a “big picture” approach to helping older clients.  Sally Wagley is a specialized elder law attorney who has honed her understanding of complex laws affecting older people in her 22 years in the aging field.  Michael Levey, who has been in the general practice of law for more than 30 years, complements Sally’s specialty with his knowledge of many areas of law including real estate and family matters.   Patrice Putman is both a registered nurse and an elder law attorney who has worked in health care administration.   She is skilled at helping older people and famililes navigate the medical and legal minefields that so often frustrate elders and their families. The firm draws clients from a large geographic area, from the greater Augusta and Lewiston areas to as far away as Aroostook County and southern Maine. They are also contacted by residents of other states seeking services for parents who live in Maine.

Our goal is to help older people and families:

• Preserve homes, farms, camps and savings against nursing home expenses and taxes
• Remain financially secure
• Remain independent for as long as possible
• Access health and long term care
• Reduce estate taxes and income taxes
• Obtain insurance and public benefits, including MaineCare (Maine Medicaid), Medicare, Medicare supplemental insurance and long term care insurance
• Protect spouses, disabled children and others
• Plan for proper management of their affairs in the event of incapacity or death.

Our clients: In our elder law practice at Levey, Wagley & Putman, we serve:

• Older people
• People with disabilities
• Family caregivers
• Families with disabled children, disabled spouses or other disabled relatives

How we help:  We offer assistance in the following areas:

• Help with MaineCare eligibility (the Maine Medicaid program), Medicare, Long Term Care Insurance and Medicare Supplemental insurance in the state of Maine
• Long term care insurance comparisons
• Estate planning
• Durable Powers of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directives and Living Wills
• Wills and Trusts
• Probate and trust administration
• Special Needs Trusts
• Guardianship and conservatorship
• Representation in financial exploitation and elder abuse cases
• Advice on home care, assisted living, senior housing and nursing homes in the state of Maine
• Grandparenting and grandparent visitation
• Divorce and separation in older age
• Advice for people in second marriages (including prenuptial agreements)
• Transfers of real estate to family members
• Mediation of disputes affecting elderly people, such as contested guardianship.

For more information on our services, our fees, or to schedule an appointment, please contact us today.