Senior care planning guides, grouped by where your family is
Our guides are general educational information, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Talk with your own attorney, financial advisor, or care professional about your situation.
Pick the stage below that sounds like where your family is right now. The groups follow the same order as our step-by-step planning guide, and each guide answers one question. Carter Hockinson is the editor of Elder Living Guide. He reviews each guide against official sources such as Medicare, the NJ Division of Aging Services, and the Eldercare Locator, and updates pages when those sources change.
New here? Start with Senior care planning for families: a step-by-step guide, which walks through every stage and links each guide. Families in New Jersey can also read senior care options in South Jersey.
Noticing changes and talking as a family
Family caregivingTalking to a parent about getting help at home
The signs a parent may need more help at home, how to bring it up without criticism, small first steps to offer, and a free one-page talk plan worksheet.
Family caregivingFamily meeting checklist for changing care needs
How to run a family meeting about a parent's changing care needs: who to invite, ground rules, a 60-minute agenda, handling disagreement, and a notes sheet.
Family caregivingSharing caregiving with siblings: how to split the work without the blowups
How adult siblings can split caregiving for a parent: list every task, name a primary caregiver, share a notebook, handle money in writing, and settle disagreements.
Family caregivingLong-distance caregiving: a weekly check-in plan
What you can do for a parent from far away: a weekly check-in rhythm, local allies to recruit, red flags to watch, and a blank check-in plan to fill in.
Choosing the kind of care, including help at home
PlanningTypes of senior care compared
Home care vs home health, adult day, board and care, assisted living, memory care, CCRCs, nursing homes and hospice: who each fits and what to check first.
In-home careHow to choose in-home care: questions to ask before you hire
Hiring help at home? Learn the difference between home care and Medicare home health, agency vs direct hire, the questions to ask, and a free scorecard.
Touring assisted living and memory care
PlanningAssisted living tour checklist: what to bring and what to look for
Touring assisted living? See what to bring, what to look for, NIA's questions to ask, and a free tour scorecard to compare communities side by side.
Memory careMemory care tours: when to go and what to ask
Touring memory care? See what it usually means, when to start, a two-visit plan, NIA's questions to ask, and a free tour scorecard to compare communities.
Nursing homesHow to choose a nursing home
Compare nursing homes with Care Compare star ratings and inspection reports, plan two visits, ask Medicare's questions, and use a free comparison sheet.
Assisted livingWhat assisted living care levels mean
What an assisted living care level really means, how to turn a level chart into tasks and monthly totals, and what to ask about reassessment. Free worksheet.
Paying for care and reading the contract
PlanningHow families pay for senior care
Who pays for which kind of senior care: what Medicare covers and doesn’t, Medicaid home and estate rules, PACE, VA and caregiver help, plus a free payer sheet.
PlanningHow to build a private-pay senior care budget
Can your family afford senior care, and for how long? Five steps, a months-covered calculation, and a free budget worksheet to compare options.
PlanningLong-term care insurance questions for families
What to look for in a parent's long-term care insurance policy, how a claim usually starts, how to stop a lapse, and a free policy summary sheet.
Assisted livingHow to compare assisted living fees side by side
Comparing assisted living costs? Ask each community for the same written fees, turn every quote into one monthly total, and use our free side-by-side sheet.
Assisted livingHow to read an assisted living contract before you sign
What to check in an assisted living contract before you sign: fees, care changes, discharge and move-out terms, who signs, plus a free review worksheet.
Moving into care
PlanningA practical timeline for moving a parent into care
A week-by-week plan for moving a parent into assisted living: family, tours, a paperwork folder, the medication list, sorting, packing, and a free worksheet.
PlanningThe first 30 days after a parent moves into assisted living
A week-by-week plan for a parent's first month in assisted living: what to watch, who to ask about what, when to call the ombudsman, plus a free 30-day log.
Support for the family caregiver
Family caregivingRespite care for family caregivers
Where to find respite care, what Medicare hospice, VA, Medicaid and insurance may pay, questions to ask a provider, and a free handoff sheet to download.
Family caregivingCaregiver burnout and boundaries that protect you and your parent
Caregiver burnout signs from the National Institute on Aging, plus time, task and money boundaries, scripts, local help, and a free weekly capacity sheet.