With questions in hand and notepads ready, dozens of older adults packed into the Saugerties Public Library on Tuesday for a presentation on estate planning and elder law by Erica Halwick-Williams, an elder care attorney based in Kingston.

The hour-long event stretched into two as Halwick-Williams fielded questions on topics including wills, trusts, healthcare proxies, and power of attorney.

“Unfortunately, it’s information that a lot of people sometimes don’t know or may think, ‘If something happens to me, my spouse will be able to handle it,’ and that’s not necessarily always the case,” Halwick-Williams said. “We like to let people know what information is out there so they can reap the benefits of what’s available to them.”

Halwick-Williams, who runs her practice and also works for the Ulster County Office for the Aging, emphasized the importance of early planning. While most attendees were older adults, she noted that health care proxies, a legal document that allows you to appoint someone you trust to make health care decisions on your behalf, and power of attorney, a legal document that allows someone to act on your behalf regarding legal matters, finance and property, are also crucial for younger people, including college students.

Despite the importance of planning, Sue Koppenhaver, director of the Ulster County Office for the Aging, noted that many individuals still delay or avoid tackling the process. 

“People don’t want to deal with the fact that they are going to die,” Koppenhaver said. “I say, ‘Do you want the state to decide what happens to your belongings and your home and car instead of someone you know and trust?’”

The popularity of Tuesday’s event reflects a national surge in estate planning. In 2024, 76% of estate planning professionals said clients had returned to revisit their plans, according to a Bank of America report. Much of the renewed interest is driven by economic uncertainty and demographic shifts. At the same time, the resources needed to serve senior citizens—fueled by a mix of federal and state funding— remain uncertain at the federal level. The Trump administration has reduced by more than 40 percent the staff responsible for overseeing key federal programs that support older adults and people with disabilities living at home. The New York State budget for fiscal year 2026 adds an additional $45 million through the New York State Office for the Aging to address the backlog of older residents waiting for support. This increase brings the total to $68 million in fiscal year 2026, up from $33 million the previous year, with a cumulative $200 million invested in these services since 2019 at the state level.

Ulster County’s Office of the Aging is funded by the state, with a portion of the funding coming from the federal government; every county in the state has a local office for the aging. As of April 30, the federal administering agency, the Administration for Community Living has been dissolved. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last month a sweeping reorganization that will eliminate 20,000 jobs, consolidate 28 divisions into 15, and launch a new agency called the Administration for a Healthy America. New York State Office for the Aging Director Greg Olsen warned that the federal dismantling of the U.S. Administration for Community Living could threaten essential services for older adults, including meals, transportation, and case management. He noted that one-third of ACL staff have already been terminated, and that a $400 million federal funding withdrawal is impacting multiple state health agencies, with 23 states suing to block the cuts.

“I think it’s the state of the country. I think a lot of people are getting scared,” said Diana Balling, president of the Saugerties Seniors club. “More and more people are finding they’re having to move back with their families. There’s a lot more grandparents taking care of grandkids.” Since 2000, there’s been a 36 percent rise in children living with at least one grandparent, according to The Brookings Institution.

Halwick-Williams gives up to eight presentations annually, sometimes representing Ulster County’s Office for the Aging. The office offers free or low-cost legal services, including will preparation, for Ulster County residents age 60 and over, with priority given to low-income seniors. Demand has grown sharply, resulting in a two-month waitlist.

“There’s a longer wait,” Koppenhaver said. She attributed the increased demand in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacted older adults. In 2020, 81 percent of COVID-related deaths in the U.S. occurred among those 65 and older, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, a government agency a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Real-Life Lessons

Tara Gardner, 62, a village resident, attended the talk with her twin sister. The two have struggled for six years to settle their late mother’s estate.

“My mother thought because she had beneficiaries on the other accounts it would automatically be on this account as well, and that wasn’t the story,” Gardner said. One account lacked a listed beneficiary, sending the case into probate—the legal process of validating a will. The house remains to be settled since the deed is still solely in her mother’s name. 

“She needs to get the house in her name, otherwise her children will go through what we are going through,” Gardner said, adding advice to others to “not to be as negligent as my sister’s and I have been. My mom has been deceased for over six years and this has been ongoing.” 

After the event, Gardner reached out to Halwick-Williams and is considering hiring her to help resolve the case.

Peace of Mind

For some, estate planning has already brought peace of mind. Balling, 74, and her husband John, 80, said they began planning before they retired. She worked for Trailways, a transportation company, and he was a New York State toll collector.

“We realized we really needed to do it to protect both of us,” Balling said. “We changed the will, and we changed the ownership of the house to both names.”

Their son, 53, lives in Virginia and has a copy of all the necessary paperwork. They’ve updated the beneficiary information and ensured that both names are on the financial accounts.

“I think it’s very important because, as you get older, you start to think: What’s going to happen to what I’ve achieved?” she said. “My husband is going blind, so we’ve had to address savings accounts—making sure both names are on the accounts, and make plans that, God forbid, if I go first, what happens with my husband?”

Planning, she said, has eased her anxiety. “Because I don’t have to worry. I know that if anything happens to me, I know that my son will be called.”

A Personal Touch

For deputy town supervisor Leeanne Thornton, estate planning became deeply personal. When her aunt was diagnosed with cancer, she laid out her wishes in a detailed living will—including her love for football, country music, ice cream and certain TV shows.

“She listed like 10 to 12 things that she wanted, and that was in the living will,” Thornton said. “We made sure when we went down to visit with those things—we’d bring her ice cream, we’d have a football game on—so I think in the last couple weeks or so, she was comfortable.”

For more information on Ulster County Office of the Aging, click here, and for estate-planning and other legal services click here.

Amy Wu is a reporter covering Woodstock and Saugerties. Send correspondence to amy@theoverlooknews.com.