The two specialties overlap, but they're not identical — and for solo agers, the difference can guide which kind of attorney to call first.
Estate planning attorneys
Focus primarily on wills, trusts, and the distribution of your estate after death.
Elder law attorneys
Focus more broadly on the legal issues of aging while you're alive — power of attorney, health care proxies, long-term care planning, Medicaid eligibility, and guardianship avoidance — in addition to estate documents.
Which to call first
Most solo agers benefit from starting with an elder law attorney, since the most urgent gaps (who decides for me now, not just after I die) fall squarely in that specialty. Many elder law attorneys also handle estate planning as part of a combined package.