Explore senior care information, tips, and tools to help you make the very best decisions for your aging loved one — and yourself.
It can be difficult to recognize when a loved one needs a higher level of care. Signs like weight loss, poor hygiene, and increasing forgetfulness can point to more serious underlying problems. Detecting changes in your loved one’s health and abilities early on can help safeguard their well-being. The same applies to identifying and reducing caregiver stress before it leads to burnout. The following articles address red flags to look for, how to assess a senior’s ability to live independently, and more.
One of the biggest challenges caregivers face is ensuring an aging loved one’s health and safety while respecting their wishes. When other relatives aren’t on the same page, the chances for complications only increase. The following resources can help you navigate difficult care decisions, conversations, and family dynamics.
Talking With Family When You Can No Longer Care for an Elderly Parent
Learn how to talk to your family about the need for a new caregiving arrangement.
Family Disputes Over Care of Elderly Parents: Common Problems and Solutions
Siblings may disagree on how to best care for aging parents. Learn how to stop these family disputes with communication tips.
How to Deal With Irrational Elderly Parents Who Refuse Help: 10 Useful Tips and Strategies
Explore helpful strategies to keep the conversation productive and free of judgment on both sides.
Overcome the Guilt of Moving a Parent to Senior Living
Even when moving to senior living is the right decision, it can trigger guilty feelings for caregivers. Use these tips to cop...
Senior Respite Care: Time Off From Caregiving
Need a break from caregiving duties? Respite care can be provided in your home or at a senior living community.
Senior Rehab: Better Care Options After a Hospital Stay
After a hospital stay, senior rehab services help seniors recover at home, in assisted living, or in a skilled nursing facili...
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The cost of senior care depends on several factors, such as location and the type and frequency of services needed. For instance, the national median cost of in-home care is $30 per hour, while the median cost of memory care is $6,200 per month. Depending on an aging loved one’s needs and financial situation, payment options may include private funds, certain types of insurance, and public benefits. Before making any care decisions, make sure you understand the differences in price and the various ways to cover these costs.
Cost of Long-Term Care and Senior Living
Explore A Place for Mom's Cost of Care Report to learn about the median costs of assisted living, memory care, and more.
How to Pay for Assisted Living: A Comprehensive Guide
Go beyond retirement savings to stretch your assisted living budget. Roommates, veterans benefits, and life insurance can hel...
Long-Term Care Insurance: An In-Depth Guide and Options for 2023
For the chronically ill or disabled, this insurance can fund respite care, adult day care, senior living, and more. See if it...
Selling a House to Pay for Care: A Guide for Seniors and Families
Learn tips on selling your parents’ home to pay for care, when to sell, and more.
Medicare, Medicaid, and Long-Term Care
Understand the ins and outs of Medicare and Medicaid to see how you can use these programs to pay for senior care.
Reverse Mortgages and Long-Term Care: The Pros and Cons
Explore the pros and cons of using a reverse mortgage to finance senior care and other expenses.
Choosing the right home care agency or senior living community requires a bit of legwork, but it’s worth it. First, work with your loved one to make a list of the services and features that are most important to you both. For example, would they prefer to live in a quiet, homelike setting or a large community with a full activities calendar? Is low staff turnover and rapport with their caregivers a deal breaker? Would your loved one benefit from specialized dementia care now or in the future?
Creating this list of non-negotiables can help you identify your priorities and narrow down your options. The following guides cover everything you need to know about next steps like touring communities, interviewing caregivers, and comparing potential providers.
Helping a loved one transition to their new home can be emotionally and logistically challenging. Staying organized and asking for help when needed can keep stress to a minimum. If possible, include your loved one in the process, and check in with them regularly about how they’re feeling. Use the tips and checklists below to make downsizing, packing, and decorating much easier for both of you.
Families often focus on providing the best possible care for their loved ones, but you should get the support you need, too. Help for caregivers comes in many different forms: information, connections, products, and services. Having all the right resources can make a big difference in your own physical and mental health and your ability to help others. Browse our most popular articles on caregiving support below.
PRODUCTS
GPS Trackers for Seniors With Dementia: Helpful Bracelets, Watches, and Other Devices
MEDICAL
Hip Replacement Recovery: Expert Tips on Timeline and What to Expect
PRODUCTS
Alexa for Seniors and Caregivers: Benefits, Devices, and Setup
CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Top 10 Facts About Alzheimer’s Disease
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List of Drugs Linked to Dementia
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The 7 Stages of Dementia: What They Are and What To Expect
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Assisted living facilities offer housing and care for active seniors who may need support with activities of daily living, like bathing, dressing, and medication management.
The score shown is the overall experience rating which is an average of the reviews submitted for those communities. The overall experience rating is a star rating that ranges from 1 being the lowest to 5 being the highest.
Below are the 51 largest cities grouped by their metropolitan area.
Top states for Assisted Living
The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical, legal, or financial advice or create a professional relationship between A Place for Mom and the reader. Always seek the advice of your health care provider, attorney, or financial advisor with respect to any particular matter, and do not act or refrain from acting on the basis of anything you have read on this site. Links to third-party websites are only for the convenience of the reader; A Place for Mom does not endorse the contents of the third-party sites.