Key Resources for the AARP National and State Family Caregiver Guides

Medicaid.gov: The official website of the U.S. government’s Medicaid health insurance program which provides health coverage for eligible low-income adults, children, pregnant women, older adults and people with disabilities.

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP): A program that provides free assistance with making Medicare choices and understanding claims and policies.

5. Socialization and Support System

AARP Friendly Voice: Trained volunteers provide a phone call.

The Danger of Social Isolation: How to prevent, identify and fight isolation for older adults.

Innovations to Fight Isolation: New and surprising ways older adults can be more connected.

13 Free or Low-Cost Things You Can Do Now to Deal With Loneliness: Creative approaches to staying socially connected.

6. Housing/Living Situation

AARP Caregiving — Care at Home: How to help a loved one live independently or provide in-home care, set up a care team, ensure home safety and find respite services.

AARP Caregiving — Nursing Homes: The latest news and guidance on care in nursing homes.

AARP HomeFit Guide: A room-by-room tool to evaluate the home for safety and comfort, including checklists, helpful videos and a free HomeFit AR app (available for iPhone and iPad) to identify needed improvements to the home.

11 Housing Options for Older Adults Who Need a Little — Or More — Help: A guide to various housing and care options.

Finding the Right Long-Term Care for Your Loved One: An overview of the various care and housing options for long-term care.

7. Transportation

AARP Driver Safety: Learn safe driving techniques in-person or online with the AARP Smart Driver™ course, how to find the safest “fit” for your vehicle with CarFit®, and get insights into you and your loved ones’ driving with the AARP SafeTrip™ app. Learn how to assess and discuss your loved one’s driving skills and transportation alternatives with the free We Need to Talk seminar, and watch the Using App-Based Ridesharing workshop so you can stay on-the-go when driving isn’t an option.

Community Resource Finder: A search tool for community services, including transportation (under the Care at Home category).

Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116): An online search tool or staffed toll-free phone line to help you find your Area Agency on Aging (AAA) so you can inquire about transportation services for older adults.

Transportation: What Caregivers Need to Know: How to help your loved ones get around when you can’t provide a ride.

Brush Up on Driving Skills After Illness, Disability or Feeling Rusty: Professional driving schools and occupational therapists help you relearn skills and stay on the road safely.

8. Services

Adult Day Care: What Caregivers Need to Know: How to find the best adult day center for your loved ones’ needs.

Community Resource Finder: A search tool for community services, housing options, medical services, care at home and AARP and Alzheimer’s Association events and programs.

Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116): An online search tool or staffed toll-free phone line to help find an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) or Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) that offers a variety of home- and community-based services for older adults and people with disabilities.

Find a Center: A search tool from the National Adult Day Services Association to help locate adult day care, services or a health center.

Find an Aging Life Care Expert: A search tool provided by the Aging Life Care Association to help find an expert or geriatric care manager.

GotDME.org: Search for free places to borrow or donate durable medical equipment nationwide. Find wheelchairs, shower safety equipment, knee scooters, walkers and more.

How to Get Caregiving Help From the VA: An overview of benefits and services tailored for older veterans and their families.

Here’s How to Get the Benefits You Need to Care for a Veteran: How to get the caregiving help available to assist someone who has served.

9. Technology

AARP Personal Technology Resource Center: Guides to technology, tablets, smartphones, smart home options (including security), social media, video games and staying safe online.

Aging in Place Made Easier: An overview of the various ways technology can be used as we age at home.

How to Choose a Medical Alert System: A summary of the options to consider when choosing a medical alert or personal emergency response system (PERS).

Remote Monitoring to Keep Older Adults Independent and Safe: Ways to use technology to monitor safety from a distance.

10. End-of-Life Care

CaringInfo: Guides provided by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization help explain palliative and hospice care, as well as how to plan, prepare and talk with loved ones about their wishes for care if they have a serious illness or are at the end of their lives.

Compassion and Choices: Offers planning tools and advance planning consultation services related to end-of-life options, including access to medical aid in dying.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About VA Burial Benefits: How to understand benefits and get help with military veterans’ funeral arrangements.

8 Tips for Funeral Planning: Things to consider when planning for funeral arrangements.

Facts About Hospice Care for Family Caregivers: An overview of hospice care — what it is, how to qualify, what to expect and how to locate and evaluate hospice programs.

What Caregivers Should Know About Palliative Care: A guide to understanding palliative care including the benefits, what’s involved and how to find it.

What to Do When a Loved One Dies: Practical steps you need to take after a loved one dies.

CREATE AND UPDATE YOUR CAREGIVING PLAN

Key Components of Caregiving Plan

New to Family Caregiving? 10 Tips on How to Get Started: A simple guide to help you get organized, build support and put together a caregiving plan.

How to Be an Effective Advocate for Aging Parents: The skills you’ll need to help your loved ones receive the best possible quality care.

How Caregivers Can Balance a Loved One’s Safety and Dignity: How to respectfully manage safety while supporting your loved one’s independence and dignity.

Build Your Caregiving Team

CaringBridge: A free online tool for sharing health updates with family and friends, and asking for help with meals, groceries, errands or care.

Find an Aging Life Care Expert: A search tool provided by the Aging Life Care Association to help you find an expert or geriatric care manager.

How to Hire a Caregiver: Guidance about the various types of in-home care providers, associated costs and how to find the right support for your loved ones.

Long-Distance Caregiving: 5 Key Steps to Providing Care From Afar: Advice about support and resources to help make caregiving from a distance easier.

How to Be a Partner in Family Caregiving Even From Afar: How to share the responsibilities with a fellow caregiver.

Lotsa Helping Hands: A tool to help organize your caregiving team, request help and organize a care calendar for loved ones.

Care for the Caregiver

AARP Caregiving — Life Balance: Advice on juggling family caregiving with other important responsibilities such as self-care, work, school, home, other relationships and childcare.

AARP Family Caregivers Discussion Group (on Facebook): An online discussion group with thousands of family caregivers who support each other, share resources, problem-solve, vent and celebrate triumphs; moderated by AARP’s family and caregiving expert. 

AARP online caregiving community: AARP’s free forum where caregivers can post thoughts and questions and help each other.

AARP Personal Finance site: Tips, tools and information to help you budget, save, manage debt and ensure your financial security.

ARCH National Respite Locator: A search tool provided by the ARCH National Respite Network to help you find respite programs in your area.

Can I Get Paid to Be a Caregiver for a Family Member? Guidance on various ways family caregivers can receive pay when caring for loved ones, including via Medicaid, long-term care insurance, Veterans Affairs and private pay.

Caregiving While Working: Information about how to adjust work, laws affecting family caregivers and potential employer support for family caregivers. 

Caregiver Burnout: Tips to Prevent and Manage Stress: Advice about managing stress, recognizing the signs of burnout and finding help.

Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116): An online search tool or staffed toll-free phone line to help find an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) or Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) that offers home- and community-based services for older adults and people with disabilities.

Find a Therapist: A search tool provided by Psychology Today for help finding a therapist, grief counselor or support group.

How to Find a Caregiver Support Group That’s Right for You: How to find various types of family caregiver support groups.

Respite Care: Create a Plan to Give Yourself a Caregiving Break: A guide to lining up respite care support for loved ones so family caregivers can take a break.

Veterans Affairs Caregiver Support Program (toll-free 855-260-3274): A program that promotes the health and well-being of family caregivers who care for our nation’s veterans through education, resources and support services.

GRIEF AND LIFE AFTER CAREGIVING

AARP Grief & Loss online community: A virtual community to find support and share advice with others who have recently lost a loved one.

AARP Grief, Loss and End of Life site: Advice for coping with the death of a loved one, arranging funeral services and making plans and decisions about the end of life.

Coping With Loss — One Step at a Time: Tips to deal with grief.

Find a GriefShare group: A search tool provided by GriefShare to help you locate a free or low-cost (some groups charge a low fee for the book provided with the program), faith-based, 13-week, in-person or virtual support group.

Find a Senior Move Manager: A search tool provided by the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers (NASMM) to find a specialist who can help loved ones move or help family members or friends empty their house after they have moved out or died.

Find a Therapist: A search tool provided by Psychology Today for help finding a therapist, grief counselor or support group.

Find a widowers support group: A search tool provided by the National Widowers Organization to help men connect with other widowers online or locally.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Crisis counseling for those who are experiencing mental health crises, sadness and disabling grief. Call or text 988 or chat online with crisis counselors.

TAPS National Military Survivor Helpline: A nonprofit organization providing programs, national and regional survivor seminars for adults and youth, as well as retreats, resources and assistance navigating benefits for all those who are grieving the death of a military or veteran loved one. The helpline is available toll-free day or night.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Key AARP Resources

AARP family caregiving books

AARP family caregiving site

AARP family caregiving support line: 877-333-5885

AARP family caregiving tools

AARP Family Caregivers Discussion Group on Facebook

AARP Financial Workbook for Caregivers

AARP Financial Workbook for Veteran and Military Caregivers

AARP’s Mental Health Center

AARP online caregiving community

AARP state family caregiver resource guides

AARP veterans resources

AARP Foundation Tax Aide: Provides tax assistance to anyone, free of charge, with a focus on taxpayers who are over 50 and have low to moderate income. You don't need to be an AARP member to use the service.

ORGANIZATIONS

Caregiving Organizations 

Caregiver Action Network: caregiveraction.org, 855-227-3640

Elizabeth Dole Foundation: elizabethdolefoundation.org and hiddenheroes.org

Family Caregiver Alliance: caregiver.org, 800-445-8106

National Alliance for Caregiving: caregiving.org, 202-918-1013

Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers: rosalynncarter.org, 229-928-1234; Crisis Text Line: Text TOUGH to 741741

SAGECare: sageusa.org/sagecare, 212-741-2247

VA Caregiver Support Program: caregiver.va.gov, 855-260-3274

Disease-Specific Organizations

Alzheimer’s Association: alz.org, 800-272-3900

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America: alzfdn.org, 866-232-8484

American Cancer Society: cancer.org, 800-227-2345

American Diabetes Association: diabetes.org, 800-342-2383

American Heart Association: heart.org, 800-242-8721

American Stroke Association: stroke.org, 888-478-7653

Parkinson’s Foundation: parkinson.org, 800-473-4636

Veteran-Specific Organizations

Community Care (VA): VA provides health care for veterans from providers in a local community outside of VA. Veterans may be eligible to receive care from a community provider when VA cannot provide the care needed. The care is provided on behalf of and paid for by VA. Community care must be first authorized by VA before a veteran can receive care from a provider.

Disabled American Veterans (DAV): The DAV can help with the lasting effects of service-connected injuries and finding programs and services that meet specific needs.

Gary Sinise Foundation: The foundation supports our nation’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and the families of fallen heroes. Among its many initiatives, they build specially adapted smart homes for seriously wounded post-9/11 veterans, as well as provide home modifications, mobility devices and adapted vehicles for injured, wounded, ill and/or aging heroes of all conflicts.

Military OneSource (800-342-9647): A Department of Defense (DOD) program that provides resources and support to active-duty, National Guard and Reserve service members and their families.

National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP) VA Benefit Identifier: This mobile app directs veterans to a questionnaire that assists in verifying if a VA claim should be filed for a service-connected disability benefit or a non-service-connected disability pension. It is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

NVLSP Resources for Combat-Related Special Compensation: The information gives veterans a better understanding of their eligibility for combat-related payments. Materials from the nonprofit’s Know Your Rights: Combat-Related Special Compensation Clinic are available in PowerPoint and video format.

Paralyzed Veterans of America: A veteran service organization that offers expertise on the special needs of veterans who have experienced spinal cord injury or dysfunction.

VALife: VA’s Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance (S-DVI) policy stopped taking new applications after 2022, but those who already have S-DVI may keep it. ​In 2023, the agency introduced VALife, which provides up to $40,000 in life insurance coverage for any veteran 80 or younger. No medical underwriting is required, and veterans with any disability rating will be accepted. For veterans 81 or older, there are some additional requirements.​

Other National Organizations

For a full list of resources, see AARP’s online list of National Organizations, Programs and Other Resources for Caregivers.

State and Local Organizations

Get help paying bills, finding food, and locating other resources near you. Phone: 2-1-1

To find local organizations, check the AARP state caregiver resource guide and the Community Resource Finder.