April 2016
The effects of the 2008 Recession on Grants Pass seniors were, in many cases, disastrous. Statistics reveal that the majority of seniors who own their own property have little or nothing in place to protect their assets.
To the rescue came Claudia Beausoleil and Mary Shea, two local mediators who decided to merge their skills in order to help seniors in our community. Their business, Senior Solutions, along with the Southern Oregon Mediation Center, is intended to help seniors identify issues that need to be resolved, along with providing the documentation necessary to protect assets from attack.
“The team at Senior Solutions understands that seniors have worked very hard throughout their lives to amass assets,” Claudia said. “We find that most Rogue Valley seniors fail to take the necessary steps to protect those hard-earned assets from the ravages of probate administration and estate taxes.”
In addition, many seniors are at odds with their families regarding disposition of their assets, and that’s where Claudia and Mary, with their backgrounds in mediation, come in handy.
“We believe seniors should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor and time with their loved ones, knowing their assets have been legally secured from financial attack,” Mary said. “As certified mediators, we work collaboratively with our clients and their families in order to resolve outstanding issues and ensure everyone is on the same page. Our legal team is able to seek, where necessary, protection from elder abuse.”
Senior Solutions aims to please and has developed service packages structured to meet the senior’s specific testamentary and even mend fences with family members via family dynamic mediations, working together to resolve outstanding issues.
“We have attorneys on call to help you decide what ‘end of life package’ best fits your legal and financial needs,” Claudia said. “Based on the package chosen, our team provides, among other things, basic wills, codicils, advanced medical directives, powers of attorneys, and simple or complicated trusts designed to protect assets from financial attack.”
Claudia and her husband moved to the Rogue Valley in 1975, where they bought a property in Williams. Claudia later founded Southern Oregon Mediation, located across from the Courthouse.
Mary moved here in 1999 and was certified as a Family Mediator when she arrived. After her children were grown, she obtained an attorney’s license and focused her attention on working with the elderly. She and Claudia met at a mediation seminar and decided to merge their skills.
For more information, the phone number is 541-226-6654. They are located at 432 NW 6th, Suite 209.
