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.
Caregiver Burnout: How to Identify and Reverse Course
Learn the signs of caregiver burden, plus resources to alleviate caregiver role strain.
What to Do When a Parent is Diagnosed With Dementia or Alzheimer’s: 10 Steps to Help You M...
If you feel at a loss after your loved one’s dementia diagnosis, you’re not alone. Read on to discover what to expect as...
A Guide to Care: Parkinson’s Disease Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
Learn about Parkinson’s disease causes, symptoms, and treatment.
Activities of Daily Living Checklists for Seniors
Activities like bathing, dressing, eating, and managing a household are basic tasks we all complete each day. But as we ...
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 to 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.
How to Stop Family Disputes Over Elderly Parents
Siblings often disagree about an elderly parent’s care. Here's advice on how to resolve arguments.
What to Do When Elderly Parents Refuse Help: 8 Communication Tips
Failing to convince your aging parents to accept help? Experts offer tips to bridge the communication gap.
Overcome the Guilt of Moving a Parent to Senior Living
Moving an aging parent to assisted living may be a difficult decision. Here's how to overcome the guilt.
Senior Respite Care: Short-Term Relief for Caregivers
How senior respite care can help to alleviate the fatigue and burnout associated with extensive caregiving responsibilities.
Senior Rehabilitation Centers: Better Care Options After a Hospital Stay
Does your loved one require rehabilitative services after a hospital stay? Learn about senior rehab option
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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 $5,995 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.
A Guide to Elder Care and Senior Living Costs
Before making a choice, understand the varying prices, and weigh the benefits of each type of senior care.
How to Pay for Assisted Living: A Comprehensive Guide
Learn how to go beyond traditional retirement savings to stretch your assisted living budget. Roommates, veterans benefits, a...
Long-Term Care Insurance: An In-Depth Guide and Options for 2023
Sometimes called “senior care insurance” or “nursing home insurance,” long-term care insurance is much more than coverage for...
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
Many families aren’t sure how to use Medicare or Medicaid to pay for memory care, even if they qualify. While Medicare doesn’...
Reverse Mortgages and Long-Term Care: The Pros and Cons
Learn 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.
CHOOSING CARE
How to Find a Memory Care Facility: A Helpful 11-Step Needs Assessment Memory Care Checkli...
Finding the right memory care community for your loved one begins with understanding their unique needs and preferences, but it doesn’t end there. Learn more about this and nine other tips to make sure your loved one gets into the right memory care community.
Read the full articleHow to Choose an Independent Living Community to Call Home
Location, cost, and amenities are key factors when choosing an independent living community.
Hiring an In-Home Caregiver: A Step-by-Step Guide
Interview questions to ask, tips on writing a contract, and suggestions on how to maintain a relationship with your in-h...
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.
MOVING
Moving to Assisted Living Checklist: Where to Start, What to Keep, and Everything in Between
Read the full articleCAREGIVER SUPPORT
Key Items to Include on a Memory Care Packing List
See important items to bring in a loved one's move to memory care.
Read the full article6 Reasons Why Visiting Elderly Parents is Important After a Move to a Senior Living Commun...
Discover the importance and benefits of visiting elderly parents in senior living.
Helping Seniors Move: Design and Downsizing Tips for Senior Living
Learn tips for downsizing, providing moving assistance, and how communities help move to senior living.
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.
The Worrying Facts About Caregiver Health and Stress
Being a family caregiver can lead to caregiver burnout and poor caregiver health.
How to Talk to Someone With Dementia: 10 Expert Alzheimer’s Communication Strategies
Some communication strategies for people with dementia are obvious, such as speaking clearly and limiting distractions. ...
9 Free Apps to Help Manage Caregiver Duties
Mobile app creators have developed helpful ways for caregivers to stay organized and informed.
How to Speak to Your Parent’s Doctors: Tips for Successful Communication With Your Parent ...
Learn strategies to help you speak to your parent’s doctor, define your role, and form a care team.
CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Top 10 Facts About Alzheimer's Disease
CAREGIVER SUPPORT
Does Medicare Cover Respite Care? Your Options, Explained
CARE OPTIONS
Long-Term Care Facilities and Nursing Homes: What’s the Difference?
CARE OPTIONS
Long-Term Care Facilities and Nursing Homes: What’s the Difference?
CARE OPTIONS
Your Complete Guide to Independent Living
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Paying for Palliative Care: Your Questions, Answered
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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.