As Wesley Chapel grows and changes, older residents face new challenges to secure long-term care and avoid elder abuse, as elder law attorney Myrna Serrano Setty explains.
Wesley Chapel has come a long way in just a few short decades. Far from the ‘Gatorville’ of the last century, Wesley Chapel has fueled the population boom of one of the fastest-growing Counties in the country, as Florida’s Pasco County welcomes increasing numbers of families to the Tampa area and retirees looking for a comfortable place to settle.
Unfortunately, for many of these older residents, the changes accelerating in Wesley Chapel come with downsides and risks, from rising home prices making long-term care even more unaffordable to unscrupulous scammers taking advantage of online vulnerabilities.
These are all risks that local Florida elder care attorney Myrna Serrano Setty helps older Wesley Chapel residents deal with through careful planning or, if necessary, elder law abuse lawsuits. It is, after all, one of the positive sides of growth in the area, attracting talented and compassionate attorneys like her, and boy, has the area been growing.
A hundred years ago, Wesley Chapel was a tiny community built around the quaintly named Double Branch Baptist Church and a couple of sawmills. At the turn of the 20th century, though, the opening of State Road 56 jumpstarted a massive wave of development as Tampa commuters rushed in, leading to a nearly 300% growth in the population.
With the growth of important services like schools, malls and a Florida Hospital (now Advent Health), Wesley Chapel is now a proper community in and of itself, not just a series of significant gated and isolated communities. In the decades since that initial growth, the share of the population has only been getting older; however, as families age and retirees are attracted to the convenient yet peaceful suburb of Tampa.
Between 2010 and 2020, the share of households that included at least one member above 60 increased by nearly 50%, and roughly 1 in 20 homes is occupied by a single individual living alone above the age of 65. Despite this, or perhaps in part because of it, property values continue to rise. While this might seem like a good thing for everyone, for certain elderly residents, this can be a trap.
On the surface, higher home values sound like a boon for anyone in the area, especially older residents who were able to buy homes when the prices were much lower than they are today. To a certain extent, this is true, as it has led to substantial growth in wealth in the area, which older residents can look forward to passing on to the next generation through effective estate planning. But only if there is anything left to pass down.
Getting long-term care has never been easy, but in today's day and age, it can seem impossible. With healthcare costs going up, and long-term live-in, home care, nursing home, and assisted living prices in particular rising spectacularly, too few older residents of Wesley Chapel can afford them.
Worse still, the most vulnerable among them, whose low incomes might have qualified them for Medicaid, were able to buy a home in the area before or during the boom 20 years ago. Now, with the rise in home values in the area, that house represents an excess of wealth that disqualifies them from vital Medicaid assistance for long-term care.
It is not, however, impossible to do so. With careful planning, well in advance, elder law attorneys like Myrna Setty are able to help residents of Wesley Chapel and other similar Tampa suburbs reorganize their assets, using estate planning tools like trusts, to avoid being disqualified from Medicaid. This can save thousands of dollars a month, while ensuring that the legacy and wealth you are able to pass on is not drained dry by end-of-life healthcare costs.
The other drawback of rising home values is that they make very tempting targets for unscrupulous scammers. Older residents, in particular, are prime targets for those wishing to take advantage of their naivety, vulnerability, or kindness to leech away their assets or get them to sign unfair yet binding agreements.
Scammers and strangers are not the only perpetrators of elder abuse, however. From guardianships turning sour to relatives neglecting an elder in their care, anyone harming an elder physically or financially may be guilty. Even some of those long-term healthcare facilities, strapped for cash despite the exorbitant costs, have been found guilty of negligence towards the elders in their care.
While many of these vulnerabilities can be avoided with proper planning, not everyone has the chance to work with an attorney like Myrna Setty to prevent them. And, as the population ages and grows, Wesley Chapel residents need to be aware of the possibility and on the lookout for the well-being of the senior citizens in our lives.
Once spotted, fortunately, an elder law attorney can do a lot to help, from ensuring the rights of the older person are being respected all the way up to filing elder abuse lawsuits to recover damages and compensation from the perpetrators to cover the harm done and the cost of any care needed.
The Law Firm Of Myrna Serrano Setty P.A. | Local Florida attorney ensuring the protection of older Wesley Chapel residents with compassionate elder care planning and elder abuse lawsuits.
Attorney Myrna Setty is herself one of the many to have arrived in Wesley Chapel over the last 20 years, and while she has an office in Tampa, she also has one in Wesley Chapel, a community near and dear to her heart and profession.
After conversations with local residents and witnessing some of the difficulties and abuse older residents in Wesley Chapel have to contend with, Myrna Setty has become one of the community’s foremost elder law and care attorneys. Not just for the results she delivers and the difference she makes in so many lives but also for her compassionate care and clear communication skills.
If you are feeling vulnerable, lost, at risk, or worried about your ability to afford long-term care for yourself or a loved one, call (813) 686-7175 to set up a consultation at attorney Myrna Setty’s Wesley Chapel offices.
(By Appointment Only)
2236 Ashley Oaks Circle
Suite 102,
Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
Phone: (813) 686-7175
Business Hours are 9:00AM to 4:00PM