Elder Law & Medicaid Planning
Guidance for families caring for aging parents.
Thoughtful, compassionate planning that protects your loved ones and your family’s peace of mind long before a crisis ever arrives. Serving families across Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
(401) 600-0146·No obligation. No pressure. Just clarity.
Common concerns we hear
The questions families carry quietly.
Most adult children who reach out are carrying the same handful of worries. None of them are unusual. None of them are unsolvable.
“Will nursing home care drain our parents' savings?”
There are legal strategies to protect a meaningful portion of family assets — but most of them work best when planned for early.
“When should we start thinking about long-term care?”
Long before a crisis. The earlier we plan, the more options your family will have when care is actually needed.
“What happens if a parent can no longer make decisions?”
With the right documents in place, the people your parents trust can step in steadily. Without them, the courts decide.
“How do we protect the family home?”
There are well-established planning tools that can keep the home in the family while still meeting Medicaid eligibility requirements.
“How do we protect the spouse who is still healthy?”
Spousal protection rules are some of the most valuable — and most overlooked — tools in elder law planning.
“What if a diagnosis has already arrived?”
Even after a diagnosis, there is almost always something protective we can do. The sooner we talk, the more we can help.
Understanding elder law, clearly
What “elder law” actually means for your family.
Elder law is the quiet, careful work of preparing your family for the realities of aging, before they become emergencies. It sits at the intersection of estate planning, healthcare decisions, long-term care costs, and the legal protections that hold a family together when life becomes more fragile.
Long-term care planning looks at how care (in the home, in assisted living, or in a nursing facility) will be paid for, and how to preserve what your parents have built without sacrificing the quality of that care.
Medicaid planning is a specific area within elder law that uses the rules of the Medicaid program, including the five-year look-back, spousal protections, and qualified trusts, to protect family assets while still meeting eligibility requirements when care is needed.
Asset protection is the broader work of titling, trust structures, and gifting strategies designed to keep family resources intact across generations, legally, transparently, and well in advance.
None of this needs to be overwhelming. The most important step is also the simplest: a thoughtful conversation, started early.
How Sheri helps families
Steady guidance through tender decisions.
We start with your family — not the paperwork.
Every conversation begins with what's actually happening at home: who needs care, who is helping, what's been worrying you, and what feels uncertain. The legal strategy follows the family, not the other way around.
We translate elder law into plain language.
Medicaid eligibility, look-back periods, irrevocable trusts, spousal protections — Sheri explains each piece in language that actually helps you decide. Nothing is rushed. No one leaves the room confused.
We design a plan that fits your situation.
There is no template here. Your parents, your assets, your family dynamics, and your timing all matter. The plan is built around them — and adjusted as life changes.
We stay with your family for the long road.
Elder law is rarely a one-conversation event. As parents age, as care needs change, and as the rules evolve, Sheri remains a steady, familiar presence your family can call.
What thoughtful planning protects
Protections that quietly hold a family together.
Preserve assets with intention
Thoughtful structures that protect what your family has built — without hiding anything or cutting corners.
Protect the well spouse
Spousal impoverishment rules give well spouses meaningful protections. We make sure your family uses every one of them.
Get the right documents in place
Powers of attorney, healthcare directives, HIPAA releases, and trusts — thoughtfully prepared, well before they're ever needed.
Avoid crisis-mode decisions
When planning happens early, your family makes choices from clarity — not from panic in a hospital hallway.
Keep the family home in the family
Titling, trusts, and planning tools that protect a home you've spent decades making.
Plan with full understanding
You'll know what every document does, why it matters, and how it protects the people you love.
What happens next?
A clear path forward, at your family’s pace.
Schedule a conversation
A relaxed, no-pressure call to share what's happening with your parents and what your family is worried about.
Discuss your family's situation
We'll talk through care, finances, documents, and timing — in plain language, at your pace.
Receive a personalized plan
A clear elder law and Medicaid strategy built around your family — and a clear path forward.
When my mother’s diagnosis came, our family was barely holding it together. Sheri sat with us, listened, and walked us through every option without ever rushing. For the first time in months we felt like we knew what to do next.
Long-term care planning
Educational resource
The Long-Term Care Planning Checklist
A plain-language guide Sheri shares with every family that comes in worried about an aging parent. What documents to gather, what questions to ask, and how to begin with a conversation, before a crisis ever forces it.
- What documents every aging parent should have ready
- Conversation starters that respect parents' independence
- How Medicaid look-back rules really work
- Protecting the well spouse from impoverishment
- Common pitfalls families discover too late
- Questions to ask before choosing a care setting
Common questions families ask
The questions on every family’s mind.
A clear next step
You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Whenever you’re ready, Sheri is here to listen, and to help your family find clarity, confidence, and a steady path forward for the people you love most.
Unhurried, honest conversation. No obligation. No pressure.