Introduction: Senior Housing & Care Facility Options - Understanding & Choosing

UPDATED: This article is updated from an article that appeared on HelpingYouCare® on December 31, 2014. Happy New Year! Now is the exhilarating time for a new beginning — the time to make New Years resolutions for the coming . . . → Read More: Ideas & Checklists for New Years Resolutions – for Caregivers and Seniors

The Eldercare Locator, a service of the Administration on Aging, part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), has issued a list of 10 Warning Signs Your Older Family Member May Need Help in the home. . . . → Read More: 10 Warning Signs Your Senior Family Member May Need Help, Issued by HHS Eldercare Locator

November has been designated as Long-Term Care Awareness Month. As part of this observance, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services issued a release yesterday, containing useful information on long-term care for seniors and their family caregivers. The . . . → Read More: Planning Ahead for Long-Term Care

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday awards of funding to seven organizations selected to partner with CMS and 145 nursing homes in seven different states in a new pilot program aimed at improving . . . → Read More: New Program to Improve Quality of Care for Nursing Home Residents in 7 States Announced by Medicare

Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius announced that $12.5 million in awards funded by the Affordable Care Act and the Older Americans Act will be made to local Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) to help . . . → Read More: New Resources to Help Seniors & Those With Disabilities Stay Independent Provided under Affordable Care Act

The U.S. centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on August 21 that it has launched a redesign of its Medicare.gov website, in order to better serve Medicare Beneficiaries and their families. The redesign, CMS said, “mak[es] content . . . → Read More: Medicare Announces Redesigned Website to Better Serve Medicare Beneficiaries & Their Families

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Friday, that it provides a number of finder tools and other resources to help find affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities. Following is a copy of . . . → Read More: HUD Offers Tools to Find Affordable Housing for Seniors

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday that it has updated and re-designed its Hospital Compare and Nursing Home Compare websites, which provide tools and quality measures to help consumers find hospitals and Medicare-Certified nursing homes . . . → Read More: Medicare Announces Updated Hospital Compare & Nursing Home Compare Sites

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced Monday that it has established a new Administration on Community Living under HHS, which will be dedicated to “enhancing and improving the broad range of supports that individuals with . . . → Read More: HHS Announces New Administration on Community Living to Help Seniors & Disabled Live At Home

website. “Connect with your members of Congress and make them understand your patients’ needs. Tell them how home care can cut costs and right a health care system that’s run off the tracks. A train wreck will occur if . . . → Read More: National Home Care & Hospice March on Washington & Law Symposium, March 25-28, 2012

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), has recently announced changes to its Nursing Home Compare tool which will take effect in 2012. The current nursing home . . . → Read More: Medicare Announces Changes to Nursing Home Compare Tool

Here is a wake-up call: Medicare may cover costs of a needed rehabilitative or skilled nursing care facility after a hospitalization of at least three nights — but only to a limited extent. As explained by the Centers for . . . → Read More: What to do When Medicare Will Not Cover the Costs of a Needed Rehabilitative or Skilled Care Facility

Caregiverlist.com offers a Nursing Home search tool combined with a “Star Rating Service” for family caregivers, which allows you to search for nursing homes by State and County, by zip code, or by name, and find a list with . . . → Read More: Caregiverlist – Search Tool to Find & Compare Nursing Homes & Their Costs

Residential Facilities, by GetCare.com. An overview of several different types of residential care facilities, including: * Assisted Living * Nursing Homes * Board and Care Homes * Hospice Facilities * Continuing Care Retirement Communities * Congregate Housing Includes a . . . → Read More: Overview of Residential Care Facility Options

Checklists provided by GetCare.com. Multiple checklists in printable PDF format, to help you know what to look for and what to ask several different types of providers of long-term care services, including providers of: In-Home Care: Home Care Services . . . → Read More: Checklists of What to Look For and Ask Long-Term Care Providers & Professionals

National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.  Provides a good introduction to the available options for long-term care, including home and community based services and the different facility-bases services, such as adult . . . → Read More: Understanding Long-Term Care: Where is Long-Term Care Provided

Family Caregiver  Alliance. Overview of the various senior housing options and advice on selecting among them for your aging parents. http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/print_friendly.jsp?nodeid=849

28 page booklet by the Eldercare Locator of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, supported by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.  Written by Holly Robinson, Associate Staff Director at the American Bar Association Commission . . . → Read More: Housing Options for Older Adults; A Guide to Making Housing Decisions

by American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA), an Association of not-for-profit providers of homes and services for the aging.  Includes links to general information on: Home and Community-Based Services Senior Housing Assisted Living Continuing Care . . . → Read More: Finding the Right Aging Services

This article is provided by SNAPforSeniors Having a conversation about long-term care with an aging loved one can be difficult. Initiating a conversation can be awkward or uncomfortable for family members or caregivers.  Although it is impossible to know . . . → Read More: Long-term care “Conversation Checklist” for families and seniors

From SNAPforSeniors.com, a free senior housing information source that lists types of  licensed senior housing, provides tools to assist you with assessing your needs, and matches you needs against available options. Provides a helpful list of questions to ask . . . → Read More: Senior Housing: What you need to know

provided by U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.  Allows you to search for information by your zip code, city, or county.  A good place to find local Aging & Disability Resource Centers and local Long-Term Care Ombudsman, who . . . → Read More: Eldercare Locator: Help in Finding Resources in Your Community

by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in conjunction with the American Health Lawyers Association.  A 2 page brochure listing and providing an overview of long-term care options, including adult day care, assisted living, and nursing homes, along . . . → Read More: Long-Term Care Options

by American Health Lawyers Association in conjunction with National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.  A two page brochure listing questions to ask and criteria to consider in choosing a long-term care facility. >> View Info

by SeniorResource.com.  A comprehensive list of housing/ long-term care facility options for seniors, with information on the characteristics of each and criteria for choosing, plus links to other resources. http://www.seniorresource.com/house.htm

Fact Sheet by Eldercare Locator, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, providing information on different types of public housing assistance available for qualifying lower-income older persons. http://www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/Resources/fact_sheets/gov_house.aspx

by MayoClinic.com.  Good overview by the Mayo Clinic of long-term care options for seniors, the characteristics of each type of facility, and questions to ask and criteria to use in choosing the right option for your loved one. . . . → Read More: Long term health care: Plan ahead: Planning now for long term care will help you make decisions later in life. Here’s a look at your options and how to share your wishes with your loved ones

by American Health Lawyers Association in conjunction with National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.  2 page brochure on the process of signing an admission agreement and being admitted to a long-term care facility. View Info

by The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The Joint Commission is a non-profit organization which evaluates (by performance based standards) and accredits over 15,000 healthcare organizations in the U.S., including hospitals, home health care, hospice providers, nursing . . . → Read More: Selecting a Health Care Provider: Helping You Choose Guides

The Joint Commission also provides a Quality Check® service, which is a search engine where you can find the Joint Commission’s evaluation of the healthcare organization you are considering.  Accredited facilities are designated by the “Gold Seal” of the . . . → Read More: Quality Check search engine provided by the Joint Commission

Family Caregiver Alliance, Update Fall 2007/ Winter 2008.  A simple list of tips for caregivers planning for long-term care of your elderly loved one.  The Family Caregiver Alliance is a not for profit organization dedicated to helping family caregivers. . . . → Read More: 20 Practical Tips for Finding the Best Residential Care for Your Relative

by AARP.  A chart showing the average assisted living, nursing home, home health aide, and adult day care costs by State for each of the 50 States, for 2007.  The figures represent the average cost based in a sample . . . → Read More: Care Costs

Choosing Senior Housing and Residential Care, by Helpguide.org, a no-profit organization created by the Rotary Club of Santa Monica, dedicated to helping caregivers. Provides a good overview of the different senior housing and long-term care options available, their characteristics, . . . → Read More: Choosing Senior Housing and Residential Care

Residence Options for Older and Disabled Clients, book by Lawrence A. Frolik, March 2008, American Bar Association, Senior lawyers Division. A comprehensive book, written primarily for lawyers but useful to all caregivers, on senior housing and long-term care options, . . . → Read More: Residence Options for Older and Disabled Clients

Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care: Choosing Long-term Care, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Includes criteria to look for as a “Quick Check for Quality” in long-term care facilities, . . . → Read More: Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care: Choosing Long-term Care