Frank & Kraft is a full-service estate planning and elder law firm offering help to clients throughout Central Indiana and surrounding areas. Our legal team provides services and support to people of all ages and at all income levels, and we can help you with a wide variety of legal tasks aimed at enhancing your future security.
The services that an elder law attorney offers do not just apply to seniors. Everyone, of all age groups, needs to ensure that they have an appropriate plan in place in case of incapacity, illness, or an untimely death.
You don’t want your family left to make difficult medical choices without knowing your wishes, and you don’t want your assets at risk of loss during your lifetime or after your death. Our firm works with you to create a personalized plan by taking advantage of legal protections available to you so you can rest assured you and your loved ones are as protected as possible from life’s uncertainties. Give us a call today to find out more.
Life in Central Indiana
Central Indiana is defined differently, depending upon who you ask. Officially, Central Indiana is made up of 33 different counties that are located within the center of the state. However, many locals use the term Central Indiana to refer specifically to the Indianapolis metropolitan area, as Indianapolis is the most dominant city in the region around which most of the state’s economic activity is organized. Central Indiana is the most populous of all of the regions within Indiana, and the primary economic drivers within this region include education, manufacturing and agriculture.
Central Indiana is home to major universities, including Purdue, Butler, Ball State, Indiana Wesleyan, and Indiana State University. Counties located in central Indiana include Morgan County, and Howard County, while cities located within Central Indiana include Lafayette, Richmond, Carmel, and Terre Haute. For recreation, Turkey Run State Park and Shades State Park are both located within the western part of the Central Indiana area.
Seniors in Central Indiana
Central Indiana has many services available to provide support and assistance to seniors living locally. CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions helps to coordinate support services and to provide access to the programs that older people need to remain independent and to stay connected with their communities. CICOA is a not-for-profit agency and it is one of 700 different Area Agencies on Aging that are located throughout the United States.
CICOA helps seniors and their families in many different ways. There is a resource center for people who are older or who are disabled to find out information about programs that they can take advantage of. There are caregiver supports offered, including respite care, and there is a transportation program that helps seniors to get around who are not able to drive to the store or to doctor’s appointments. There are also nutrition services to help ensure seniors have access to food and have help getting meals, and there are programs aimed a facilitating the modification of homes so seniors can age in place.
CICOA has been in operation since 1974 and it oversees the use of state and federal funds, as well as private donations, to ensure that funding is utilized to best enhance quality of life for seniors as they age. Seniors can turn to CICOA to discover how to access resources within their local communities.
For those who require more costly benefits or more comprehensive care, Frank & Kraft can offer assistance in exploring benefits that may be available through the Veterans’ Administration or through government programs such as Medicaid.
Probate Court in Central Indiana
Frank & Kraft also provides assistance to those who become involved in proceedings that take place before the Indiana probate court. When a person passes away, unless he has made a comprehensive estate plan to avoid the probate process, the affairs of his estate will be wound up in probate. The probate process is the process that will be used to determine whether a will is valid, to assess who inherits, and to take other steps necessary to transfer assets to those who inherit under the will or under intestacy law.
Probate courts also preside over guardianship proceedings, which are court proceedings that take place to determine if someone is incapacitated and to appoint a guardian to act on behalf of an incapacitated person. While Frank & Kraft works with clients to create an incapacity plan to avoid guardianship proceedings, sometimes no plans are in place and injury or illness leaves a person incapacitated. When this happens, we can represent family members in probate court who must ask the court to name an appropriate guardian.
There are different probate courts located within different counties in Central Indiana and probate proceedings must all take place in the court where property was owned by a deceased person or where an incapacitated person resides. You can visit Courts.IN.gov in order to obtain information about courts by county so you can find the Central Indiana probate court where your legal proceedings will take place. You can also find educational information about how the probate court process works and can find forms that you may need to submit to the court.
Our firm will help you to determine which county probate court is the court with jurisdiction over your particular case. We can also complete court paperwork and can take care of other technical requirements associated with guardianship or the probate process. We make going to probate court easy and stress free, even as you cope with the serious illness, injury or death of someone you love.
Getting Help from Central Indiana Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorneys
To discover more about the services that the Central Indiana estate planning and elder law attorneys at Frank & Kraft, Attorneys at Law, can provide you, join us for free seminar. You can also give us a call at (317) 684-1100 or contact us online if you are ready for personalized advice and assistance making your plans for the future.
