Who Will Care for Them Tomorrow? Attorney Andrea Capita on Planning Ahead for Families and Caregiver

Caring for a loved one often becomes a lifelong responsibility. For parents of children with disabilities, spouses supporting an aging partner, or adult children caring for elderly parents, the demands can extend far beyond daily routines.

Attorney Andrea Capita understands these challenges through both her legal practice and her own family’s caregiving experience.

As founder of Capita Law LLC, serving families in eastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey, she helps clients navigate estate planning, long-term care decisions, and special needs planning.

In the second part of her Caregiver Collective interview, Attorney Capita discusses an important question families sometimes overlook: Who will step in when today’s caregiver can no longer continue?

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Planning for the unexpected

Attorney Capita emphasizes that estate planning is important for all adults, not just seniors or families with special needs.

“Your will is a great tool, but it does not grant anyone any authority to make decisions for you or help you while you are alive,” she explained.

Financial and healthcare powers of attorney, along with living wills, helps Clients prepare for situations in which he or she becomes incapacitated. Identifying trusted decision-makers and backup arrangements is an essential part of that preparation.

When care crosses state lines

For families living near state borders, long-term care planning can become more complicated.

Attorney Capita frequently works with Pennsylvania residents whose medical emergencies bring them to hospitals or rehabilitation facilities in neighboring New Jersey.

Because Medicaid rules differ between states, the location where someone receives long-term care can significantly affect financial planning, particularly for married couples when one spouse requires care and the other remains at home.

She recommends consulting attorneys licensed in the relevant states before making major decisions.

The objective is to help families understand their options before an emergency forces them to act.

Caregivers need care, too

Beyond legal preparation, Attorney Capita believes families must recognize the physical and emotional demands placed on caregivers.

Her perspective comes partly from caring for her own grandmother toward the end of her life.

“I personally had to take care of my grandmother towards the end of her life,” she recalled. “She was one person with severe mobility issues. It easily took two or three family members to care for my grandmother and assist her with her activities of daily living.”

That experience reinforced her belief that caregivers should not feel obligated to manage everything alone.

She recommends exploring available support, including family assistance, professional caregiving agencies, respite services, and adult day programs.

Attorney Capita has also witnessed situations in which a caregiving spouse became so physically depleted that they passed away before the spouse received care.

“You want to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself as well,” she said.

Caregivers can become so focused on another person’s needs that their own health gradually disappears from consideration.

“You may push your needs to the side or feel guilty for taking time for yourself,” she explained. “You shouldn’t feel guilty.”

For families feeling overwhelmed, Attorney Capita encourages them to seek assistance, review their legal arrangements, and begin conversations about future care rather than waiting for a crisis.

“The hardest part is just making the initial call,” she said. “Once that’s been started and you talk through what’s needed, you’ll see that it’s not as daunting as you may have thought.”