Senior Center Initiative
CDEL offers legal services to a large number of clients through Initiatives. These are programs developed in response to a specific legal issue which has a disparate impact on low-income seniors or persons with disabilities. The Senior Center Initiative (SCI) is one of these programs.
The rationale for the SCI is that seniors, with capacity, should prepare durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Property as a means of avoiding potential abuse and financial exploitation, as well as the possible requirement of a guardianship proceeding, should they later become incapacitated. The SCI is designed to afford seniors the opportunity to learn about, and prepare, these important advance directives. The SCI three components: (1) presentations offered on-site at senior centers; (2) accredited continuing legal education (CLE) seminars at which volunteer attorneys and paralegals receive training regarding advance directives; and, (3) workshops held at senior centers, where residents meet individually with an attorney; prepare and execute the advance directives; and receive final, fully executed documents.
Since fully implementing the Senior Center Initiative in 2008, through 2010, CDEL has:
- Made 236 SCI Presentations
- Offered 35 SCI Continuing Legal Education Seminars;
- Held 130 SCI Workshops; and,
- 1,500 seniors have executed durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Property, and Living Will Declarations if appropriate.
