Resources offer CPAs road map to eldercare solutions.

• Author: Eisenberg, Irving M.
• Position: ElderCare

Practitioners who work with older clients know that they come with a unique set of characteristics. For example, when a client problem surfaces, it is generally urgent--sometimes a life or death matter--and must be solved immediately. However, often the primary contact in these situations is not the client, but rather a friend or family member--who may live in a different city or state than the CPA and client.

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It's all part of the charm, though, and for CPAs looking to enhance the scope of services they provide, eldercare presents an ideal--and challenging--opportunity. To help you navigate this practice area, CalCPA's Personal Financial Planning Committee created a new resource.

The Internet-based ElderCare Resource Guide includes a listing of care management and hospital services; fiduciary and PFP services; elder law resources; forensic elder abuse issues; and real estate assistance services.

The resources--available at www.calcpa.org/PFP/elder.resource--are divided by geographic region: Alameda/Contra Costa; Los Angeles; Orange County; Sacramento/Yolo; San Diego and San Francisco/Marin. Member volunteers from throughout California compiled the materials found on the site.

The easy-to-use ElderCare Resource Guide--which is available to the public--allows users to select resources based on geographic region and then area of need. From there, services are listed by service provider and include detailed contact information, including links to more information.

ELDERCARE INFORMATION SOURCES

The ElderCare Resource Guide is just the latest eldercare information source available to CPAs.

The California CPA Education Foundation offers annual conferences lead by experts in a variety of eldercare disciplines; chapter PFP interest group meetings regularly feature guest speakers who provide eldercare information at the grassroots level; and the AICPA offers modular training programs, either seminar or self-study, and publications under the name PrimePlus/ElderCare Services.

In addition, the AICPA PFP Division offers its members a quarterly eldercare newsletter and a PrimePlus/ElderCare Services "self-assessment tool" that allows CPAs to track competency and progress toward education goals.

CPAs interested in providing services to older clients must first develop a broad skill set that will allow them to coordinate the efforts of a professional service team to best serve their clients' needs.

Issues that CPAs or attorneys may...