Assisted Living Federation of America Resources

• What is assisted living? Frequently asked questions about assisted living.
  
• What senior living options are right for me?
• What are the costs of assisted living and senior living?
• What questions should I ask the senior living communities before moving in?
  
• ALFA’s Assisted Living Guide & Checklist for seniors and their families is an invaluable consumer resource that defines assisted living and other forms of long-term care and includes an important checklist of services you can take with you and use when touring communities. Download a free copy.
• Get Social With ALFA: Locate ALFA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube...
• List of ALFA Members
  

National Senior Living Resources  

• Alzheimer's Association 
  A service of NIA, the ADEAR Center offers free publications and information on diagnosis, treatment, patient care, caregiver needs, long-term care, education and training, and research related to Alzheimer’s disease.
• American Foundation for the Blind
  Features information for dealing with low vision or vision loss.
• Ask Medicare
  Ask Medicare is designed to support and assist caregivers. Ask Medicare offers a wide range of helpful information for the nearly 66 million Americans who provide help to an aging, seriously ill, or disabled family member or friend. Ask Medicare offers tools that helps caregivers and those they care for make informed health decisions.
  
• Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
• BenefitsCheckUp
  Online service provided by the National Council on Aging that finds programs to help meet health care costs including assistance with health-care and utility costs and property tax relief — many available to middle-class families.
• Center for Excellence in Assisted Living 
  A national resource for materials and information about assisted living.
• Government Benefits Eligibility
  Screen here for governments benefits eligibility
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  A federal agency that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with the states to administer Medicaid.
• Eldercare Locator
  A nationwide service that helps identify local resources for seniors.
• Elders and Families
  Information and resources on a variety of aging-related topics including Alzheimer's, disaster assistance, elder rights & resources, caregivers, housing, nutrition, promoting healthy lifestyles, services for seniors and volunteer.  (Administration on Aging)
• Emergency Preparedness Resources for Seniors and Disabled
  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Ready Campaign has released three new instructional videos designed to highlight the specific steps older Americans, individuals with disabilities and special needs, and pet owners should take to prepare for emergencies.
• Energy Star Webinars
  Superior Energy Star management creates environmental leaders.
• Facts and Figures About Hospice Care
  2005 research findings on trends in the growth, delivery and quality of hospice and palliative care across the country — who is providing hospice care, who are the patients and how much and what kind of services were provided.
• National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information.  
  New federal website that spells out senior living alternatives and the various payment options. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
• National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. 
  Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma. Site includes information, fact sheets, statistics, brochures on prevention falls among older adults.
• National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners
  Promotes standards of excellence in dementia education to professionals and other caregivers who provide services to dementia clients.
• National Institute on Aging Information Center
  NIA offers free information on a wide variety of subjects including doctor/patient communication, end-of-life care, the biology of aging, and Alzheimer’s disease.

National Senior Living Directories (Members of ALFA)

• A Place For Mom
  Senior Living Advisors will guide you through your search, providing local support and resources, empowering you to make informed decisions each step of the way.
  

Local Senior Living Resources  

• Presbyterian Homes
  Presbyterian Homes is a non-profit organization that provides services for older adults both on and off campus in continuing care retirement communities located in Illinois. Presbyterian Homes is a resource for adult children who have questions about senior living and care.

Senior Services

• Nursing Home Compare
  Detailed information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country. (U.S. Medicare)
• Natl. Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers:
  Referrals to elder-care professionals who can assess elderly medical needs and finances and then identify local programs and services to meet those needs.
• National Association of Social Workers
  Find social workers who specialize in geriatrics.
• National Adult Day Services Association:
  Search on this site for adult day care in your area. Click on Find an Adult Day Service, then enter your city and state information.
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys:
  Look up the attorneys who specialize in elderly issues, including estate planning, powers of attorney, health proxies and Medicaid eligibility.

Caregiver Resources

• Planning for Move-Out:
  A checklist for patients and caregivers preparing to leave a hospital, nursing home, or other health care setting.
• Caregiver Resource Directory
  A guide offered by Beth Israel Medical Center that offers resources, facts, and advice about caring for a family member as well as the caregiver.
• Connect With Other Caregivers
  Connect and chat with other caregivers. Find tips and advice; or simply browse the boards.
• Evercare Study of Caregivers in Decline
  A Close-up Look at the Risks of Caring for a Loved One.
• eCare Diary
  eCare Diary provides comprehensive information, tools and resources to help those seeking and providing long term care. A unique feature a set of online tools designed to make coordination of care and sharing of information easy amongst family members and other caregivers.
  
• Family Caregiver Alliance
  Provides information, education, services, research and advocacy for caregivers.
• Family Caregiving 101
  Find assistance, answers, new ideas and helpful advice for you and your loved one.  Read how other family caregivers handled similar challenges.
• National Alliance for Caregiving
  Supports family caregivers and the professionals who help them and works to increase public awareness of issues facing family caregivers.
• SeniorCare Organizational Systems (SOS)
  Senior and caregiver advocacy and advisory company in Clovis, California with a National resource directory.
• "Twenty Questions for Long-Distance Caregivers"
  U.S. National Institutes of Health National Institute on Aging.
• Working Caregiver Online Community
  Devoted to the issues of caring for an aging parent while working full time. Especially helpful is the advice for adult children living far from their parents.
• Get support
  An online support group for children of aging parents that can refer you to local groups and offers a quarterly newsletter for caregivers.
• AlertOne Services, Inc
  One of America’s premier Medical Emergency Alarm System providers, it’s recommended by health care providers and professional caregivers, and is proud to be a trusted member of the health care community. Attained a BBB A+ Rating, serving over 150,000 families providing Peace of Mind at the Touch of a Button, and offering 24 / 7 / 365 National Medical Emergency Monitoring Coverage.
  

Financial Resources

• Paying for Senior Care
  Paying for Senior Care helps aging Americans and their families understand their long term care options and connect with the best resources to pay for at-home care, assisted living, Alzheimer's and nursing home care.
  
• American Association of Daily Money Managers
  A daily money manager will pay bills, make deposits, process insurance claims and handle other financial tasks.
• Reverse Mortgages
  Reverse mortgages can allow cash-strapped older people to borrow against the equity in their home so hey can afford to keep living there. This section of the AARP site offers a comprehensive guide to lenders, fees, pitfalls and other specifics.
• Compare Living Options
  CarePlanner is an interactive tool, sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to help choose between different living options.
• Nursing-home advice
  Am. Health Care Association and Natl. Center for Assisted Living provides comprehensive advice and information here to help your parent choose and pay for a nursing home or an assisted-living center.
• Nursing Home Tips
  Consumer Consortium on Assisted Living This nonprofit advocates for high-quality assisted-living facilities and for the rights of residents. There's solid information on their site about how to choose a good assisted-living center.
• Home Health Care
  For the frail and elderly determined to stay in their own home, home health care can be the answer. This site explains the different types of care available and provides an agency locator to help you find services.

End of Life Resources

• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
  Professional association for hospices that provides resources and information for the public.
• Facts and Figures About Hospice Care
  2005 research findings on trends in the growth, delivery and quality of hospice and palliative care across the country — who is providing hospice care, who are the patients and how much and what kind of services were provided.

Health Matters

• Beyond the Veil
  Information, resources, counseling, self-help, open forum and more about death, near death experiences, conscious dying, life after life, the evolution of consciousness from a near death experiencer's higher consciousness perspective.
• Brookdale Senior Living, Brain Fitness Events
  Learn more about Cross Train Your Brain Events. Programs are created and adapted based on the latest research findings in all of the six dimensions of Optimum Life- Physical, Emotional, Purposeful, Social, Spiritual and Intellectual.
  
• The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare 411
  The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare 411 is an audio news source that provides practical health care information, research findings, and data to help consumers, health providers, health insurers, researchers, and policymakers make informed decisions about health care issues.
  

Senior Hobbies

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Resource Directories

• Assisted Living Center
  Search over 14,000 assisted living facilities. Free information for assisted living homes.
  
• Assisted Living Directory
  Free assisted living and senior care information source since 2005.
• Senior Living Space
  View the many choices for retirement living and care options all at once.
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