SeniorTruth

About the Authors

Helen Dennis

Helen, a nationally recognized expert on issues of aging, employment and retirement, has received awards for her teaching at the University of Southern California and for her contributions to the field of aging. Editor of two books, frequent speaker and weekly columnist for the Daily Breeze, she assisted over 10,000 employees to prepare for the non-financial aspects of their retirement.

Her research on employment and retirement issues has been conducted for The Conference Board, AARP, UC Berkeley and the U.S. Administration on Aging.

She has received numerous awards including the Distinguished Teacher Award from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, the Francis Townsend Award from the California State University, Long Beach and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Southern California Andrus Associates. She also has been named in Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in America and Women in American Business. The Carson Coordinating Council named her one of the Magnificent Women.

Helen serves as current board chairperson of H.E.L.P. (Healthcare and Elder Law Programs) and national chair of the Business Forum on Aging of the American Society on Aging. Additionally she is past president of three non-profit organizations.

She recently completed writing with Bernice Bratter the Los Angeles Times best seller book, Project Renewment TM :, The First Retirement Model for Career Women (Scribner March 2008).

Fully engaged in the field of aging, she was a delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging and has had extensive experience with the media including Prime Time, the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor.

Esther Epstein

Elder law attorney Esther Epstein is Director of Legal Programs for H.E.L.P. She spent the first 15-years of her legal career as a public interest attorney, representing low-income, disabled and senior clients. While specializing in family law, Esther served as judge pro tem and family court mediator for the LA Superior Courts, and litigated cases involving marital dissolution, custody, support, and domestic violence.

Esther expanded her family law background by directing her specialization to government entitlement programs. In administrative hearings and litigation, she represented disabled and senior clients seeking assistance through such programs as Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Medi-Cal, In-Home Support Services and healthcare for the uninsured.

In H.E.L.P.’s Life Planning for Grown-Ups classes Esther provides important information on powers of attorney for healthcare and financial matters; wills, trusts, and probate avoiders; consumer protection, and more. She is available for formal consultations with individual clients, their families and care providers who wish to discuss suitable options for care planning and estate administration.

Esther is an active member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Southern California Council of Elder Law Attorneys, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, and Southern California Mediation Association. Additionally, she has obtained formal certification from Adult Resolutions & Mediation Services, Los Angeles County Bar Association Dispute Resolution Services, and Jewish Family Services Domestic Violence Certification Training.

After receiving a BA in psychology from UC Berkeley, and a JD from Golden Gate University Law School, Esther returned to the UCLA School of Public Health where she received an EMPH in healthcare management and policy.

Ed Long

Elder law attorney Ed Long left big law firm practice at the end of 1993, after 20+ years. He became an elder law attorney, having seen the care, financial and legal challenges that arose over his mother-in-law’s and father-in-law’s final years.

In 1996, Ed and his wife Pat (a geriatric social worker by training) founded H.E.L.P. and became its full-time “mom and pop” staff. Since then, H.E.L.P. has assisted thousands of individuals, couples and families across Southern California and the United States. About H.E.L.P.

Ed is an experienced speaker/presenter on elder law and other legal and financial matters, before diverse audiences. In 2000, he was the first recipient of the Powley Elder Law Award (for advocating and serving the needs of older adults), presented by the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

Ed is a volunteer with Caring House, a home focused on end-of-life needs of those who are dying, and support for their families and loved ones; a trustee with the Palos Verdes Library District; a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging; and a member of the bioethics committees at Torrance Memorial Medical Center and Little Company of Mary Hospital.

On May 31, 2008, Ed retired from the H.E.L.P. staff, and continues to serve as a volunteer advisor on H.E.L.P. program matters.