I came to America from India believing this was the richest and most capable country in the world. Then I met Jamie, and through Jamie I met Bill and Vivian.

I knew Bill had Alzheimer's, though I only had a vague idea of what that meant. I knew he lived in a nursing home. I had no idea what an American nursing home actually was.

As we walked in, all I could see were elderly people unable to care for themselves. It felt like a junkyard for people who were no longer functional. We made our way to Bill's room. When we walked in, he recognized Jamie immediately. Though he had lost the ability to speak, he broke into the biggest grin.

"For the first time, after so many years in America, I asked myself: how can the richest country in the entire world take care of their old people this way?"

When it was time to leave, Jamie hugged her dad and told him she'd be back. Thinking she was taking him home, Bill clung to her arm and started walking toward the door with her. He didn't let go.

I calculated we could bring him home and provide the same care for less than the government was paying to keep him in the nursing home. I called Medicaid to tell them we were going to save them money and take Bill back home.

They said no.

"That difference - between Bill's ending and Vivian's - is what LifePlanning is built to prevent."

That's when I decided to go to law school - to understand why the system worked this way, and how to fight it. Bill died in that nursing home. By the time Vivian's time came, I had learned enough to make it different. She spent her final days at home, surrounded by family.