The person reading a Medicaid planning page is often not the person who will sign the documents. It is a daughter or son trying to understand what a nursing home will cost and whether a parent’s savings are at risk.
Good elder law firm content answers that reader’s questions while remembering that the parent is the client.
The ethics rules define that relationship, and a page can follow them while still helping the family.
Elder law pages are often read by an adult child, but the parent is the client the lawyer must take direction from.
Write for the child’s questions and keep the parent at the center.
Many Readers Are Adult Children Caring for a Parent
Elder law firm content reaches a large audience of family caregivers. Per a February 2026 Pew Research Center report, “10% of all U.S. adults say they are a caregiver for a parent age 65 or older.” Of those caregivers, 39% say they regularly help with “Managing their finances, such as budgeting or paying bills on time.”
Counting all family caregivers, the figure reaches 63 million Americans, “nearly 1 in 4 adults,” according to an AARP report released in July 2025. The number of Americans 65 and older rose 3.1% to 61.2 million from 2023 to 2024, according to the Census Bureau.
Elder law pages sit between estate planning pages written before care is needed and probate content written after a death.
The Questions an Adult Child Brings to a Medicaid Planning Page
An adult child usually brings practical questions to a Medicaid planning page:
- Who pays for long-term care? “Medicaid is the primary payer across the nation for long-term care services,” according to Medicaid.gov.
- Can a parent give money away first? Federal law sets a 60-month look-back, so Medicaid reviews asset transfers from the five years before applying. Under 42 U.S.C. 1396p(c), a gift or below-market sale in that window can make a person “ineligible for medical assistance” for covered long-term care.
- Does the family need a guardianship? The federal Administration for Community Living calls guardianship a court process that “limits the person’s self-determination.” On its alternatives to guardianship page, it lists supported decision-making, or deciding with trusted help, and “powers of attorney, advanced directives, and trusts.”
Medicaid rules vary by state, so name the state and cite its program for anything beyond the look-back.
What the Ethics Rules Say About Who the Client Is
The ABA Model Rules keep the parent at the center even when a child makes the first call, and state versions vary. Under Rule 1.14, now titled “Client with Decision-Making Limitations,” a lawyer must “maintain an ordinary client-lawyer relationship” as far as reasonably possible.
The comments address family involvement:
- Comment 5: “The client may wish to have family members or other persons participate in discussions with the lawyer.” The lawyer still “must look to the client, and not family members or other persons, to make decisions on the client’s behalf.”
- Comment 6: if a family member seeks a lawyer for someone who may have decision-making limitations, “the lawyer should identify who the client is.”
- Comment 7 covers a client with an agent under a power of attorney. The lawyer “should take direction from the client and maintain communication with the client to the extent feasible.”
Under Rule 1.8(f), a lawyer may accept fees from someone other than the client only if “the client gives informed consent.” The lawyer’s judgment must stay free of interference, and confidential information must stay protected. A child who pays the bill does not become the client.
Four Ways to Write for the Child Without Sidelining the Parent
An elder law page can serve both the adult child and the parent with four habits:
- Address the reader as “you,” but describe the parent as the person who decides.
- Say early that the first meeting includes the parent.
- Explain who the client is and what the lawyer can share with family.
- Present less restrictive options before guardianship.
Answering these points on law firm FAQ pages helps families before the first call.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who reads elder law firm websites?
Elder law firm websites are often read by adult children researching care for a parent. Pew reported in 2026 that 10% of U.S. adults say they care for a parent age 65 or older, and many help with finances.
Can an adult child hire an elder law attorney for a parent?
An adult child can contact and pay an elder law attorney, but the parent is the client. ABA Model Rule 1.8(f) allows payment from someone else only with the client’s informed consent, no interference with the lawyer’s judgment, and protected confidentiality.
Should an elder law page explain the Medicaid look-back period?
An elder law page should explain the Medicaid look-back period, the 60 months before an application when Medicaid reviews asset transfers. Under federal law, a gift or sale below fair market value in that period can delay eligibility.
How should elder law content talk about guardianship?
Elder law content should describe guardianship as a court process that limits the person’s own decision-making and present alternatives first. The Administration for Community Living lists supported decision-making, powers of attorney, advance directives and trusts.
Elder Law Firm Content That Respects the Client
Elder law firm content works when a worried child gets clear answers and the parent stays the decision-maker. Lexicon’s legal content experts write elder law practice area pages that answer the family and respect the client. Call 877-486-8123, or contact us online.
David Arato, JD is the founder of Lexicon Legal Content, an attorney-owned legal content marketing agency serving law firms since 2012. Lexicon also writes white-label law firm content for digital marketing agencies. David is a frequent contributor to Attorney at Law Magazine and Attorney at Work and a recurring guest on legal marketing podcasts.
