The Hospice Legal Project of SeniorLAW Center
Legal services for Wissahickon Hospice patients
Hospice addresses the medical, social and emotional
needs of patients and their families, but the
legal issues facing this vulnerable population
are frequently overlooked. To provide assistance
to the terminally ill who often do not have the
strength, energy or resources to manage their
legal issues, Penn Wissahickon Hospice offers
the Hospice Legal Project.
The Hospice Legal Project offers free legal
services to patients though an innovative medical-legal
partnership with SeniorLAW Center, an independent,
nonprofit organization that provides free legal
services to Pennsylvania seniors. Thanks to funding
from the Independence Foundation to SeniorLAW
Center, services such as estate planning, financial
management, housing problems, custody and collections
are available to Penn Wissahickon Hospice patients.
Unresolved legal problems may decrease a patient's
quality of life and complicate bereavement due
to unsettled estates, family and financial issues.
A SeniorLAW Center attorney with significant
experience working with hospice patients and
their families performs a full assessment of
a patient's situation to determine their
legal needs. The attorney can provide direct
legal representation, legal advice and counseling,
and/or make referrals to agencies that can provide
further assistance.
A SeniorLAW Center attorney can help with:
- Personal planning – Wills, inheritance
questions, life insurance policies, powers
of attorney, living wills, probate questions,
funeral planning
- Family issues – Custody,
child/spousal support, divorce, domestic abuse,
guardianship, stand-by guardianship
- Benefits
and pensions – Social
Security benefits, Medicare/medical assistance
(including medical assistance estate recovery),
pensions, Veteran's benefits
- Employment – Unemployment,
disability, employment rights, discrimination
- Housing
and long-term care – Deed
questions, general housing issues (including
landlord/tenant problems and delinquent real
estate taxes), long-term care questions, discharge
rights
To be eligible for the program, patients must
live in Philadelphia, be age 60 or older, and
be enrolled as a Penn Wissahickon Hospice or
Caring Way patient. All services are confidential
and free of charge.
For more information about Penn Wissahickon
legal services, call 866.888.8598. To receive
legal assistance, Penn Wissahickon Hospice patients
can ask their social worker for a referral for
legal assessment.
For more information about SeniorLAW Center,
please visit www.seniorlawcenter.org.
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