There are so many wonderful organizations that deal with the issue of long-term care, and many were founded just to help caregivers. Long-term care insurance is a critical part of a family’s financial plan, but primary caregivers need a tremendous amount of spiritual and emotional support. The following list is by no means exhaustive and I update it when I see particularly worthy organizations that I can recommend.
Aging:
Administration for Community Living: www.acl.gov
Alzheimer’s Association: www.alz.org
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA): www.leadingage.org
American Association of Retired Persons: www.aarp.org
BenefitsCheckUp: www.benefitscheckup.org – Free nationwide service provided by the National Council on the Aging that includes a database of about 1,000 federal and state programs available to help older people. While most programs are targeted to low-income seniors, some benefits are based strictly on age.
Gerontological Society of America: www.geron.org
Aging Life Care Association (Formerly National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers) (520-881-8008) for unbiased help finding local care providers for a cost-effective fee: www.aginglifecare.org
Aging In Place: www.aginginplace.org
National Council on Aging: www.ncoa.org
SeniorHomes.com: www.seniorhomes.com
Sexuality and Healthy Aging: https://www.everlywell.com/blog/sti-testing/sexuality-and-aging/
Sharp Seniors: www.sharpseniors.com
Assisted Living:
About Assisted Living.Org: www.aboutassistedliving.org – includes state-specific info about assisted living facilities
Assisted Living Locators: www.assistedlivinglocators.com – free, nationwide senior care placement and referral service for in-home care, independent retirement options, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing facilities…especially if you need to keep an older friend or family member safe during the CoronaVirus pandemic
Assisted Living Federation of America: http://www.alfahousing.org/
National Center for Assisted Living: www.ncal.org
Caregiver:
Alzheimer’s Care Today: www.alzheimerscaretoday.com
Caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients: www.helpforalzheimersfamilies.com
Fantastic app to help a caregiver keep up with a loved one’s finances – all in one place! https://www.getcarefull.com/
Memory Care Facilities: https://www.memorycarefacilities.net Free search tool and nationwide database to help families find the best memory care facility that can meet the needs of loved ones.
Today’s Caregiver Magazine: www.caregiver.com
Nursing Schools Directory: www.nurseslink.org
Dental Care
Dental Care Basics for Seniors
Elder Law:
Elder Law Answers: www.elderlawanswers.com – Created by a nationwide network of attorneys, ElderLawAnswers.com provides consumers with clear information on legal issues facing seniors. Consumers may find attorneys by searching by area code or city. The information on the site includes primers on Medicaid, Medicare, estate planning and long-term care planning. Handy tools include checklists on decisions seniors and their families must make, including buying long-term care insurance and choosing a nursing home. The site includes a dedicated search engine for finding elder law answers on the Internet. The telephone number is (617) 556-0055.
ElderWeb (award winning Online Eldercare Sourcebook): www.elderweb.com
National Senior Citizens Law Center: www.nsclc.org
Home Health Care (some provide live-in care):
Comfort Keepers: www.comfortkeepers.com
Home Instead, Inc.: www.homeinstead.com
Homecare Online: agencylocator.nahc.org
Visiting Angels: www.visitingangels.com
Caregivers By Whole Care: www.CaregiversbyWholeCare.com
Medicare & Medicaid Information:
Click Here for State Medicaid Websites
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (formerly Health Care Financing Administration): www.cms.gov
One of the most useful services on this site is “Nursing Home Compare – National Nursing Home Database” … find it at: www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare
Medicare’s coverage for Parkinson’s Disease: https://www.healthline.com/health/medicare/medicare-coverage-parkinsons-disease#medicare-coverage
Overview of Medicare: https://www.medicareplans.com/what-is-medicare/
Nursing Homes:
Nursing home abuse: www.nursinghomeabusecenter.org
Nursing Home Injury Laws: www.nursinghomeinjurylaws.com
More:
Prescription Assistance Programs: www.goodrx.com and www.singlecare.com
Reverse Mortgages: www.reversemortgagenation.com
National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association: www.reversemortgage.org
Urban Institute: www.urban.org
Government Web Sites:
Agency for HealthCare Research and Quality: www.ahcpr.gov
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development: www.hud.gov
Government Accountability Office: www.gao.gov
National Center for Health Statistics: www.cdc.gov
Thomas, U.S. Congress on the Internet: thomas.loc.gov
U.S. Census Bureau: www.census.gov
