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Aging in Place 2021Aging in Place 2021

Planning for America’s elders

Michael Gilfix

July 22, 2021

20 Min Read
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No population subset in the United States was affected by COVID-19 as dramatically as elders. Infection rates among elders were higher than in other segments of the population, and more infections resulted in death. Caregivers in facilities suffered as they struggled to provide care and comfort. 

Less visible was the daily trauma of isolation. To control the spread of COVID-19, facility lockdowns became typical, seemingly unavoidable. The impact of isolation—not having family members visit—affected physical and mental health in countless ways, both documented and undocumented.  

Inevitably, this has generated dramatically increased interest in aging at home, referred to as “aging in place.”

Regardless of wealth, aging at home is or should b...

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About the Author

Michael Gilfix

Gilfix & La Poll Associates, LLP

Michael Gilfix is a nationally known authority in the field of law, aging and estate planning. A 1973 graduate of Stanford Law School, he is a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), a co-founder of NAELA, and a Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Mr. Gilfix regularly addresses professional audiences, including attorneys, physicians, certified public accountants, and financial planners, nationally as well as locally.
An entrepreneur in the legal field, Mr. Gilfix created the first legal aid program for elders in 1973. He served as Executive Director of that program, Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA) of Santa Clara County, for ten years. In 1983 he created the law firm that is today known as Gilfix & La Poll Associates LLP . 

Mr. Gilfix is a California legal advisor to Partnership For Caring, the national organization devoted to rights of individuals to make their own health care decisions. 
A highly respected practitioner and a prolific author, Mr. Gilfix is co-author of Tax, Estate & Financial Planning for the Elderly: Forms and Practice (Matthew Bender) and is the principal author of Medi-Cal and Asset Preservation, a book- length set of materials for practicing attorneys. He regularly contributes to a wide variety of legal journals such as Trusts and Estates Magazine, where his writings have discussed the role of personal values in estate planning, life care communities, and asset preservation planning.