In 1985 NMRLS initiated its Elder Law Project, which has been ongoing for fifteen years. The project was developed to enhance the delivery of high quality legal services to the elderly population in the NMRLS service area. Through the project, NMRLS makes special efforts to overcome the access barriers which increase the difficulty older persons have in obtaining legal representation.
       Toward the end of increasing access to legal services the Project maintains an Elder Law Hotline in the Administrative Office of NMRLS. This telephone information, advice and referral service is an excellent resource to the elderly, who are often homebound or unable to travel to the branch office due to frailty or lack of transportation. The hotline is maintained under the auspices of the Project Director, Catherine V. "Ginny" Kilgore, who has 25 years of experience in the areas of the law that impact the elderly.
        Also, outreach is accomplished through community education activities and training on legal rights of older persons, which is provided each year to groups of older persons, advocates for older persons, and/or providers of social services for older persons.
        Additionally, when necessary, on-site and home visits are made to the frail elderly who are homebound, or who are in nursing homes, personal care homes or hospitals. NMRLS maintains communications with the institutionalized frail elderly through its contacts with the local and state ombudsmen.
        NMRLS also endeavors to involve law students in the provision of legal services to the elderly. One of the goals of the project is to increase the number of attorneys in the service area who are sensitive to the needs of the elderly population and who are knowledgeable in the areas of the law that impact the elderly.
        In order to provide training opportunities for the Bar in the area of law and aging, the Elder Law Project hosts a "Conference On Aging" each year offering Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit for members of the Mississippi Bar.
        The Project Director also serves as a resource for the NMRLS staff, private attorneys and other professionals in the aging network on health and public benefits issues. There is a distinct advantage to clients in having a large staff available to handle cases for elderly clients. The practice of "elder law" is not a neatly drawn body of substantive law which anyone can readily absorb. When target groups include the rural elderly, the frail/disabled elderly and low-income minority elderly, a complete range of services must be provided. The staff of NMRLS provides a full range of legal assistance to the age 60 and over population in our 39 county service area.
        NMRLS is working to serve the elderly, with emphasis on increasing the availability of services to the low income elderly in all of the case priority areas.

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