A calm prep summary for your family, in fifteen minutes.
Free attorney-prep guide for anyone caring for a parent or partner facing dementia, Alzheimer's, or a sudden decline. Not a law firm. Just the questions and answers you need next.
Before using the guide, review how we handle health and care information in our Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy.
For the person figuring this out at 11pm
You do not need a legal vocabulary before you begin. Start with what happened, who you are helping, and what you are worried about. The guide helps turn that into a focused attorney-prep summary.
When you don't know where to start.
When a family member is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, dementia, or another degenerative condition, families are pushed into legal, financial, and care decisions before they know the language.
A good first conversation should slow things down, listen to your situation, explain the options in plain English, and help you understand what matters for your family.
The 11pm questions.
The guide is organized around the questions families actually ask first, not a list of legal services.
Will Medicaid take my mom's house?
Learn which home questions matter, what depends on your state, and what to confirm with a local elder-law attorney.
The guide walks you through this.
Is it too late to sign a POA if she has dementia?
Sort through capacity, existing documents, healthcare authority, and when guardianship may become part of the conversation.
The guide walks you through this.
What's the difference between Medicaid, Medicare, and VA benefits?
Separate the programs, the care they may cover, and the evidence or representative questions worth gathering first.
The guide walks you through this.
How much does a nursing home cost, and how do people afford it?
Build a clearer picture of private-pay runway, long-term care options, Medicaid planning, and benefit coordination.
The guide walks you through this.
My siblings and I don't agree. What do we do?
Name the decision points, documents, safety concerns, and family-risk issues to raise before conflict drives the plan.
The guide walks you through this.
Do I need a lawyer for this?
Walk away with a focused attorney agenda, better questions, and a plain-English summary of your situation.
The guide walks you through this.
Why we made this.
This guide started with an Alzheimer's diagnosis in our family.
We felt what most families feel when the call comes in - overwhelmed, unsure what to do first, and sad in ways that showed up at strange hours: sorting mail, on the drive home from an appointment, at 11pm with a laptop open.
Nobody handed us a map. So we made one. We wrote down every question we didn't know to ask, every term nobody explained, and every step that turned out to matter more than it looked. Then we rebuilt it as a resource, so other families would not have to start from zero.
Not a law firm. Not legal advice. Just a calmer starting point.
Read more about the approach ->What you'll walk away with.
By the end, you have a first draft of your family's plan and a clearer set of next questions.
Tell us what's going on
Start with the parent, partner, spouse, or veteran you're helping and what feels urgent right now.
See what actually matters
The guide separates Medicaid, estate documents, guardianship, care costs, VA benefits, and state-specific questions.
Leave with a prep summary you can share
Download a practical PDF with attorney-review topics, questions, definitions, and the facts you have gathered.
Educational tool only. Elder law is complex and state-specific, and final decisions should be made with a qualified elder-law attorney, Certified Elder Law Attorney, or accredited representative.
When you're ready, start here.
It is free, saved in your browser, and gives you a downloadable plan to keep.