Elder Care Resources

The task of finding care for an aging parent or spouse can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there are free resources to make that task easier. It is important to have as much information as possible. An aging parent's needs will depend on his or her condition. Options include a nursing home, residential home, in-home care, assisted living facility and independent living facility. Researching individual facilities within these options will provide a broad view of what is available.

Medicare Nursing Home Compare

• Finding a nursing home can be a primary concern for caring for the elderly. Medicare offers a Nursing Home Compare website to help evaluate the providers available. This tool will find nursing home facilities within a particular zip code, city or state. Individual nursing homes are then rated based on health inspections, staffing and quality of care. A detailed explanation on each of the ratings also is provided. For alternatives to nursing homes, Medicare provides information on assisted living, independent living and in-home care.

U.S. Administration on Aging

• The U.S. Administration on Aging has a service that can locate services for aging adults. The agency also has a website with a database that includes information on the types of concerns that seniors have. A search of Alzheimer's disease, for instance, will result in a listing of associations and organizations that work with this disease. It also lists current publications with information on the disease. Users of this service can narrow their information search by location. An extensive list of topics provides a valuable resource for information about aging and elder care.

American Association of Retired People

• The American Association of Retired People (AARP) offers advice about elder care and care giving on its website. Membership is not necessary to access the articles. The website also provides discussion groups about care giving, retirement and nursing homes, and information about other aspects of aging, such as health care, relationships and entertainment.

Better Business Bureau

• The Better Business Bureau (BBB) provides businesses and charities with an accreditation. Businesses that receive this accreditation have adhered to the BBB's Code of Business Practices. People that are searching for elder care can find listings of providers within the BBB database. Provider listings will show a BBB rating, any complaints against the provider filed with the BBB and a history of the provider's BBB participation.