Bar publishes comprehensive elder guide
To celebrate Law Day and to launch Older Americans Month, the State Bar of
California is releasing its newest public education guide, Seniors
& the Law: A Guide for Maturing Californians.
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The comprehensive guide, the third in a series of consumer education publications,
has been printed in both English and Spanish and is being distributed statewide
via senior agencies and organizations, legal services and this newspaper. In
addition, the State Bar is participating in 14 events around the state to unveil
Seniors & the Law and to raise awareness of a host of issues confronting
seniors, from making ends meet, to applying for Social Security, to avoiding
wily scam artists (see related trust mill story under Attorney Discipline>Feature),
to granting power of attorney, to purchasing long-term care insurance, to elder
abuse, or even to issues surrounding remarriage or custody of grandchildren.
"This is a great way to reach a growing and vitally important segment
of our population," said Nancy Hoffmeier Zamora, chair of the bar's stakeholders
committee that has spearheaded the public education projects. "With its
publication, Seniors & the Law puts in one comprehensive guide all kinds
of relevant information which every Californian needs to know as they face the
prospect of their golden years."
The publication - as with Kids
& the Law: An A-to-Z Guide for Parents in 2001 and When
You Become 18: A Survival Guide for Teenagers in 2000 - is funded by
a $50,000 grant from the Foundation
of the State Bar of California.
"Seniors & the Law is especially important to us," said
Herbert Rosenthal, president of the foundation, "because seniors comprise
a significant portion of our society, and the number of seniors living in California
is rising steadily." Rosenthal noted that the bar foundation has continuously
provided funding for programs that serve seniors and said providing support
for Seniors & the Law is a natural outgrowth of those earlier commitments.
In addition to the foundation, the bar has developed partnerships with a number
of agencies and organizations - most notably the California Agency on Aging,
the California Retired Teachers Association, the California Law Advocates and
individual AARP chapters - in launching this new public education guide. Seniors
& the Law was written and designed by bar publications specialist Kristina
Horton Flaherty; researched by attorney Helen
Karr; and illustrated by artist Don Asmussen. The statewide events were
coordinated by the bar's public information office.
The bar expects to distribute nearly a million copies of Seniors and the
Law by the close of the year. In addition, the guide will be available
on the State Bar's website, www.calbar.ca. gov, in both English and Spanish,
and plans are underway for additional translations in the near future.
To order copies of Seniors & the Law: A Guide for Maturing Californians,
please send an e-mail to barcomm@calbar.ca.gov
and state your name, complete mailing address (P.O. Boxes are not acceptable),
the number of copies ordered and choice of "English" or "Spanish"
version for each number, and a daytime phone number. If you do not have access
to e-mail, please include the required information above and send to The State
Bar of California, Attn: Seniors & the Law, 180 Howard St., San
Francisco, CA 94105-1639.
The guide is free, but any contributions via check made payable to The State
Bar of California and sent to the above address will be gratefully accepted.
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