NAELA Members are Dedicated to Helping Seniors: Above and Beyond

A recent article in John Crudele’s New York Post column shared a heartbreaking story about an elderly man whose son allegedly stole from him. I sent a note to John alerting him to the fact that the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) could be a source of help – he printed my entire letter in Sunday’s New York Post. I wanted to make sure that John and his readers understood that our members are dedicated to representing seniors, and I think that message was quite clear:

Dear John: I read the letter in your column about the man who allegedly stole from his elderly father.

I am a past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a national organization of attorneys that specializes in assisting our senior and special needs communities. We also advocate for our clients in Congress and state legislatures.

There are many who will help clients, regardless of resources. Unfortunately, in this situation where funds have been stolen, unless there is the possibility of recouping the assets, there is little that can be done.

An attorney should never undertake representation knowing he or she will not be able to help the client, whether paid or not.

On the other hand, if a person needs assistance in obtaining available health care and other benefits and legitimately cannot pay a fee, most of us will help anyway or find someone who can.

Please check out our Web site, www.naela.org to get a sense of what we do. S.S.

John’s response:

Dear S.S.: Thanks. I passed your information on to the person who wrote the letter.

And now everyone else who reads this column knows about your organization and how it can be of help to the elderly.