Many people worry about what could happen to them if they suffered a medical emergency or became incapacitated. Luckily, most states recognize the need to plan for future incapacity with planning tools referred to as advance directives.

Guardianship and conservatorship questions may arise when an elder relative or older friend shows signs of incapacity or cannot handle personal cares or financial matters. A guardian or conservator is only appointed if a judge determines the person, frequently referred to as a ward, is incapacitated or incompetent, depending on the law of the state. The guardian or conservator could be a spouse, child, friend or other interested party. To determine whether a guardianship or conservatorship is appropriate in your situation, contact an experienced elder law attorney in your area.

An executor is the person named by the creator of the will (the testator) to carry out the terms and provisions of the will. In addition to locating important documents and notifying Social Security, pension providers, annuity providers and other entities of the death, the executor has numerous other legal responsibilities.

As seniors grow older, symptoms of physical and mental disability may arise. These disabilities often deprive people of the cognitive skills needed to make sound decisions and the physical abilities to care for themselves on a daily basis. Elder law clients frequently turn to their families to provide the day-to-day assistance they no longer can provide for themselves.

Assets disposed of outside the probate process are part of the non-probate estate. Because a probate proceeding is not required, these assets are distributed more quickly to the appropriate beneficiaries.

Probate is the court process used to determine the validity of a will and oversee the payment of creditors and distribution of estate assets.

Estate administration refers to the process of probating the estate of a decedent, which generally includes collecting, inventorying and appraising assets; paying and collecting debts; filing and paying estate taxes; and distributing any remaining assets to beneficiaries.