September is National Senior Center Month. Senior centers provide an important venue for elders to socialize, eat a meal, and access important services. Many Contra Costa County cities have seniors centers that host a wide variety of programs.
Contra Costa Senior Legal Services understands the important role that senior centers play in the lives of elders. For this reason, we hold many programs at senior centers. Our programs at senior centers include legal clinics and know your rights presentations.
Legal Clinics
Contra Costa Senior Legal Services hosts a variety of legal clinics at senior centers in Contra Costa County. At our legal clinics, residents of Contra Costa County who are age 60 and older can get free legal services.
Wills Clinics
Our Wills Clinics allow elders to get a free simple will. Some of these clinics also allow elders to get a free advance healthcare directive and durable power of attorney. Our wills clinics do not handle trusts. Please note that our wills clinics have some additional eligibility requirements that our other programs do not have.
Consult an Attorney Clinics
Our Consult an Attorney Clinics allow elders to get free advice on the areas of law that Contra Costa Senior Legal Services handles. This includes advice on elder abuse and restraining orders, tenants’ rights, consumer issues such as a scams and identity theft, and help with small claims court.
Advance Planning Clinics
We have clinics that allow elders to get free advance healthcare directives and durable powers of attorney. These important documents allow elders to plan for the future. An advance health care directive allows you to document your health care wishes and name an agent to make health care decisions for you in the event that you are unable to speak for yourself. A durable power of attorney allows you to name an agent to handle matters such as finance, taxes, property, and payment of bills in the event that you are unable to handle these matters yourself, or if you just need some help with this. It is a good idea for everyone to have these documents in place because you never know what might happen.
Presentations
Contra Costa Senior Legal Services offers presentations at senior centers. We offer presentations on the following topics:
- Getting Your Affairs in Order
- Elder Abuse
- Scams, fraud, and identity theft
- Tenants’ Rights
We also participate in resource fairs at many senior centers. Resource fairs are a good way to learn about the many resources that exist for elders in Contra Costa County.
Contact Contra Costa Senior Legal Services by calling (925) 609-7900 to learn more about our programs and to sign up for a spot at one of our legal clinics.