Elder Law

Elder Law Attorney in Prattville

Medicaid Planning, Long-Term Care & Incapacity Planning for Autauga County Families

When a parent receives a serious diagnosis or nursing home placement becomes a real possibility, families often realize there’s no plan in place. These moments call for a local attorney who understands both the legal tools available and the community they’re serving. At McDowell Faulk & Shirley, we’ve been helping Prattville and Autauga County families navigate exactly these situations since 1956.

Our elder law practice covers the full range of legal needs that arise as individuals age: Medicaid planning, long-term care planning, Medicare planning, incapacity documents, and guardianship matters. We serve clients throughout the River Region, including Prattville, Montgomery, Millbrook, and Wetumpka. Virtual consultations are available for those who prefer to meet remotely.

If your family is facing aging-related legal decisions, don’t wait for a crisis to force the issue. Call our elder law attorneys in Prattville at (334) 380-4252 to schedule a consultation.

Elder Law Services We Handle

Elder law sits at the intersection of estate planning, benefits law, and long-term care planning. The legal decisions involved affect both the senior and their family for years to come. We handle the following practice areas under elder law:

Medicaid Planning: Protecting assets while pursuing eligibility for Alabama Medicaid nursing home coverage
Long-Term Care Planning: Evaluating options and structuring a plan before a care crisis arrives
Medicare Planning: Understanding Medicare’s scope and its limits for long-term custodial care
Powers of Attorney and Advance Healthcare Directives: Documenting who makes decisions and what those decisions should be
Guardianship and Conservatorship: Court-supervised authority when no planning documents are in place
Wills and Trusts: Estate planning documents that form the foundation of a comprehensive elder law plan

A Prattville Firm with Nearly Seven Decades of Local Experience

Families dealing with elder law matters often find that their needs don’t fit neatly into one category. A parent’s incapacity may raise probate, real estate, and family law questions alongside the Medicaid application. As a full-service firm, we address those overlapping needs without sending you elsewhere.

We’ve been rooted in Prattville since 1956. That history reflects a genuine commitment to the people here, not a marketing claim. We treat every client like a neighbor because, in many cases, they are. Our approach to elder law is the same: personalized guidance, clear explanations, and consistent availability throughout the process.

We were honored to receive a BusinessRate Best of 2026 award, which reflects the trust our clients place in us across every practice area we handle.

Schedule an Elder Law Consultation

Whether your family is planning ahead or managing an immediate need, we’re ready to help. Virtual consultations are available for clients throughout the River Region who prefer to meet without traveling to our office.

Contact us at (334) 380-4252 or reach us through our online contact form to schedule your elder law consultation.

Long-Term Care Planning in Alabama

Long-term care covers far more than skilled nursing. It includes the non-medical, custodial help that many seniors eventually need: assistance with bathing, dressing, meals, and daily tasks. This distinction matters financially because Medicare doesn’t cover ongoing custodial care in a nursing home or assisted living facility. Medicare covers only limited skilled nursing care following a qualifying hospital stay (generally up to 100 days), and standard health insurance follows the same rule.

Without a plan, nursing home costs in Alabama can deplete a family’s savings quickly. The legal tools that address this risk include long-term care insurance, irrevocable trusts structured to protect assets, and Medicaid planning. Planning before a health crisis preserves the most options. Once nursing home placement is imminent, some strategies are no longer available or can carry penalty risks.

Medicaid Planning for Alabama Seniors

Medicaid is the largest payer of nursing home care in the United States, covering the cost of care for many nursing home residents. For seniors who meet Alabama’s income and asset eligibility requirements, it can cover ongoing skilled nursing facility costs that Medicare won’t. But qualifying isn’t straightforward, and acting on incorrect advice can create serious problems.

Alabama Medicaid applies strict asset limits and a 60-month look-back period. During that five-year window, asset transfers are reviewed, and improper transfers can trigger penalty periods that delay coverage. An irrevocable Medicaid trust is one tool used to protect a home or other assets from being counted against eligibility, subject to those look-back rules. Spousal protections and exempt asset categories also matter, and families need to understand both before taking any action.

Our Medicaid planning work for Prattville and Autauga County clients focuses on helping families understand what’s possible, what’s at risk, and how to complete the application process correctly. What a family can protect depends heavily on their specific circumstances and when planning begins.

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Committed to Protecting Your Rights Guiding You Through Each Step with Clarity and Care

Reach out today to discuss your legal needs.

Powers of Attorney, Advance Directives & Guardianship

Incapacity planning documents don’t only protect the senior. They protect the entire family from a difficult and costly court process. A durable power of attorney designates a trusted person to manage financial and legal decisions if the senior can no longer do so. An advance healthcare directive, sometimes called a healthcare proxy or living will, documents medical wishes and names someone to make healthcare decisions when the senior can’t speak for themselves.

We prepare both documents as part of our elder law representation. When these documents are in place before a health crisis, families retain control over what happens next. When they’re not in place and a person loses capacity, the alternative is a court-supervised guardianship or conservatorship proceeding, which is more time-consuming and more expensive than planning in advance. Guardianship and conservatorship petitions for Autauga County residents are handled through the local probate court, and we handle those proceedings when they become necessary.

Veterans may also be eligible for VA Aid and Attendance benefits to help offset long-term care costs. This is an area we can discuss with families as part of a broader long-term care planning conversation, helping identify whether eligibility may exist and what steps to consider.

What Elder Law Covers and Who It’s For

Elder law focuses on the legal, financial, and healthcare planning needs of aging individuals and their families. It’s relevant at multiple points in life. Proactive planning in someone’s 60s looks different from crisis planning when nursing home placement is weeks away, but both can benefit from legal counsel. The earlier planning begins, the more options remain available.

Common situations that prompt families to contact an elder law attorney include a new dementia or Alzheimer’s diagnosis, a hospitalization that raises questions about future care, or the realization that a parent has no will, no power of attorney, and no healthcare directive. Sometimes it’s an adult child who initiates the conversation, not the senior, because the caregiver is the one managing the day-to-day uncertainty.

Elder law intersects naturally with estate planning, family law, real estate, and benefits law. A senior who needs Medicaid planning may also have property to transfer, a trust to establish, or a family dispute to navigate. Families whose needs span more than one area benefit from working with a firm that handles all of it under one roof.

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Stories from the People We Serve

See what others have shared about working with us

Professional and Friendly
“"I found McDowell, Faulk & Shirley LLC to be a very professional, but friendly and responsive (I worked with Mr Shirley). From the first phone call I made to them to address my case to the final meeting to wrap things up they were great people to work with. I will use them for my future needs and highly recommend them."”

- Grady O
Quality, Caring and Professional
“Thank you so much Mr. Shirley. I will forever be grateful!”

- Krista W.

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At McDowell Faulk & Shirley, we're always ready to take your call! Give us a call at (334) 380-4252 or fill out the form below to contact one of our team members.

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From wills and estates to family and property matters, we’re here to support you through every stage of life.
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With over sixty years of service, our firm’s reputation for reliability and care continues to guide everything we do.
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