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cernahome12 Asked February 2013

What caregiving services can I find in my community?

Caregiving services include:

Transportation

Meal delivery

Home health care services (such as nursing or physical therapy)

Non-medical home care services (such as housekeeping, cooking, or companionship)

Home modification (changes to the home that make it easier for your loved one to perform basic daily tasks, such as bathing, using the toilet, and moving around)

Legal and financial counseling

EXPERT Carol Bradley Bursack, CDSGF Feb 2013
One of the most helpful things you can do to find community services is to go onto your state website and type "aging" or "disability" into the search box. You may want to try several search words. By doing this, you will find your state's available services, which will then lead to community services.
On this site, you'll find your state's version of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP). This program will give you significant help in finding local resources.
Alternately, you can go online to the Administration on Aging at aoa.gov. They have an abundance of help and give offer many local links.
Also, the Agencies on Aging at www.n4a.org can help. You can type in your Zip code to see if there is an office near you.
Meals on Wheels is wonderful for low cost daily meal delivery. Nearly any community has this volunteer service.
In-home care agencies offer custodial care such as cooking and housekeeping, and some of them offer nursing services. Look in your phone book to see what is available in your community. You may want to ask for references.
Legal help for aging adults can be found through estate attorneys or elder law attorneys. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys has a good website for finding one in your area. Their website is http://www.naela.org.
Be careful about home modification. You can likely find someone who is very good just by checking your phone book, but please ask for references if you are looking into work for an elder. You want someone you can trust in their home.
Transportation also differs community by community. Many senior centers offer van rides and some communities have paratransit buses. If you check with your NFCSP, they can likely help you figure out what your community offers.
Good luck with your search. It would be nice to find everything with one click of a button, but unfortunately, that's not reality.
Carol

TonyRovere Feb 2013
If you are looking local, start with your local Office of the Aging.

In addition to all of the services you mentioned...Transportation, Meal delivery, Home health care services (such as nursing or physical therapy), Non-medical home care services (such as housekeeping, cooking, or companionship), Home modification (changes to the home that make it easier for your loved one to perform basic daily tasks, such as bathing, using the toilet, and moving around), Legal and financial counseling...

others that are available in my area include...

1) Benefit counseling-where a volunteer will sit down and go over all of the services available

2) Senior day care centers-for those who do not need 24/7 care but need to be watched

3) Respite care-offered for caregivers to get a break

Overall the services vary from county-to-county based upon what is available.

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