Fill in what you can today. Have the conversations as they come. Come back to it — the system holds your place.
Most Texas families discover what they're missing at the worst possible moment. These two documents help you find the gaps while there's still time to fill them.
A fillable checklist in five sections: Legal, Financial, Medical, People, and Conversations. Fill in what you have. Note what's missing. Set it somewhere two people know about.
Works in any state. Most families use it alongside the Texas companion guide.
The companion guide, organized into the same five sections as the workbook. Explains what each piece means, why it matters under Texas law, and which professional handles what when something is missing.
Read it once. Keep it next to the workbook. The "who to call" table near the end routes every gap to the right professional.
The companion guide mirrors the workbook section by section. Read one section of the guide, then complete the same section of the workbook.
Powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, what happens in Texas without them, and the difference between a durable POA and a medical POA under Texas law.
Account access, beneficiary designations, the Texas community property step-up in basis, and Lady Bird Deeds — what they are, when they help, and when they don't.
POLST vs. advance directive in Texas, Medicare observation status, and the Medicaid income-cap rule that catches Texas families off guard when long-term care becomes necessary.
Which professional handles which problem in Texas, what to expect from each, and how to find a good one. The "who to call when" table that routes each gap to the right call.
The conversations that need to happen — wishes, medical preferences, the home, and decisions. What to capture in the workbook and how to approach the conversation with the senior.
It takes about an hour. Don't try to take action while reading — just absorb the landscape.
Work through one section at a time. Some families do all five in an afternoon. Others spread it across several weekends. Either is fine.
Documents that don't exist. Accounts no one can access. Professionals who aren't yet on the team. Conversations that haven't happened. The gaps are the action items.
Make the calls. The gaps are the action items.
Not everyone. Two. The right two.
"Even partial progress on these fronts changes how a transition goes when the moment comes. What matters is that the work has started."
In a crisis right now? Prioritize Section 1 (Legal Documents) and Section 4 (the Professional Team). The rest can come later. Go to the Houston Crisis Path →
Six conversations to have before a transition — with opening language and what to do when a parent is reluctant.
Read the guide →Ten sibling conflicts named and explained from both sides — with a framework for moving forward when you're stuck.
Read the guide →The workbook often surfaces the home as the key financial variable. The Houston edition of Senior Move Roadmap handles the real estate side — three options, one specialist who understands the transition timeline.
📍 Houston Edition →"The home is almost always the answer to how this gets paid for. Getting the timing and approach right changes the outcome."
Houston families: The Houston Aging in Place guide covers the same decision and funding framework with Houston market rates, heat and hurricane considerations, and local context and resources. See also Medicare vs. Medicaid in Texas for the income cap, the five-year look-back, MERP, and the observation status trap.
This is informational guidance, not legal, medical, or financial advice. The right professional matters — and every section of this system tells you who that is.