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Older adults and caregivers: find the right local help

Organize aging services, meals, Medicare costs, respite, care decisions and records after a death.

Practical options and next steps

You do not need to arrange every service in one call. Choose the person’s most pressing need, find the responsible local contact and ask what happens next.

Start with this

Write the care recipient’s location and the one task you want help with today.

Who this helps

Older adults, relatives and caregivers organizing services with the person’s involvement and permission where applicable.

Where this guidance applies

For people in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Use the official state or local entry point: program names, documents, access rules and available services differ. The responsible office makes the decision.

What to prepare

Steps to take

  1. Choose one task Start with the topic that matches the problem or the notice in front of you. You can return for other needs later.
  2. Use the responsible service Open that topic’s official source, identify the state or local office, and ask about its application or appointment process.
  3. Write down the next action Keep the contact date, reference number and the exact next task. Confirm where and when to send anything requested.

Find your local aging-service contact

Search Eldercare Locator using the older person’s location, or call or text 1-800-677-1116 and ask for the local aging-service agency.

What to prepare

  • Prepare the city or ZIP code, the two needs that matter most and a safe callback method. You do not need to assemble every financial record to request a referral.

Steps to take

  1. Ask which local agency serves that address and whether the next step is a phone conversation, intake form or assessment.
  2. Contact the referred service and confirm the area served, eligibility assessment, costs, language help and available appointment route before traveling.

What to check before relying on this: A national referral does not confirm a local opening or approve services. Use the care recipient’s location when you live elsewhere.

If that route does not work: If the first referral is outside the service area or cannot help, return to the locator with that information and request another route.

Official and service sources: ACL: Eldercare Locator

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Look for help paying Medicare costs

Ask a local SHIP counselor to help identify whether your problem is premiums, prescription costs, a bill or a coverage decision.

What to prepare

  • Have your Medicare or plan information, the bill or notice, prescription list and available income/resource records if a program asks for them.

Steps to take

  1. Use Medicare’s cost-help page to distinguish Medicare Savings Programs from prescription assistance such as Extra Help. Ask where each application goes.
  2. Confirm which costs any approval covers, when help starts and whether you must take another enrollment or renewal step.

What to check before relying on this: Medicare, Medicaid and a drug-cost assistance program are different. One approval does not erase every bill or guarantee all medicines are covered.

If that route does not work: If you cannot arrange counseling, use Medicare’s official contact channel and ask for the relevant state assistance office.

Official and service sources: Medicare: help with premiums and drug costs · ACL: local Medicare counseling through SHIP

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Find meal delivery or community meals

Ask the local aging agency about home-delivered meals and meals at community sites; explain whether shopping, cooking or reaching a meal site is difficult.

What to prepare

  • Prepare the delivery area, safe contact details, any food allergies or dietary requirements and the days when food is hardest to arrange.

Steps to take

  1. Ask which route fits the person’s needs and what local intake or assessment is required; confirm delivery days or the meal-site schedule.
  2. Clarify costs or requested contributions, dietary options, transport and what happens on days the service does not operate.

What to check before relying on this: A directory listing does not guarantee immediate meal delivery or every special diet. Local capacity and service criteria vary.

If that route does not work: If there is no place or food is needed sooner, ask for another meal provider or use the SNAP guide for additional food-help routes while waiting.

Official and service sources: ACL: meals and nutrition for older adults · ACL: Eldercare Locator

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Ask for respite and family caregiver support

Tell the local aging agency that you provide unpaid care and need a break, training or support; ask about its family caregiver program.

What to prepare

  • Prepare the person’s care needs, your relationship, the times help is needed and any existing care plan. Ask before sending detailed medical records.

Steps to take

  1. Describe the kind of relief needed: help at home, a day program or another respite arrangement. Ask how suitability and eligibility are assessed.
  2. Confirm scheduling, supervision, medicines or assistance the provider can handle, costs and the next available step before relying on the arrangement.

What to check before relying on this: Caregiver support is not a universal payment or a guarantee of respite hours. Program populations and available services differ.

If that route does not work: If respite is unavailable, ask about caregiver counseling, training, support groups or another provider while you plan a safe alternative.

Official and service sources: ACL: family caregiver support · ACL: Eldercare Locator

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Compare home care and long-term support routes

Separate the help needed with everyday tasks from any skilled medical care, then ask the care team or local aging agency where to request an assessment.

What to prepare

  • List help needed with bathing, dressing, meals, movement and supervision; include existing insurance information and any discharge or care instructions.

Steps to take

  1. Ask which proposed services could be covered by the current plan and which require a separate Medicaid or local support assessment.
  2. Before agreeing to care, request the service description, approved hours if applicable, start date, provider and costs in writing.

What to check before relying on this: Medicare generally does not pay for nonmedical long-term care. Having Medicare or Medicaid does not itself approve a particular care arrangement.

If that route does not work: If home support is not ready, ask the responsible care team about interim options and another assessment route; do not treat a referral as confirmed care.

Official and service sources: Medicare: limits on long-term care coverage · ACL: Eldercare Locator

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Get help with a facility or care complaint

For immediate danger or a medical emergency, call 911. For an ongoing care or facility concern, identify the service and the problem to report.

What to prepare

  • Keep dates, names, relevant care instructions and a factual account. Do not put yourself or the resident at risk to collect evidence.

Steps to take

  1. Use Medicare’s complaint guide to find the state survey agency for nursing home conditions or the appropriate home health complaint contact.
  2. Explain the concern, ask for a reference number and confirm how to follow up. Eldercare can identify additional local support.

What to check before relying on this: A quality-of-care complaint is different from an appeal of a coverage denial. One route may not preserve the other route’s deadline.

If that route does not work: If the first contact is wrong, ask Medicare for the state contact. Use a safe callback or device if privacy is a concern.

Official and service sources: Medicare: care complaints and state contacts · ACL: Eldercare Locator · 911.gov: immediate emergencies

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Check whether a family caregiver can be paid

Ask the care recipient’s state Medicaid office whether a relevant program allows a relative or friend to provide paid care.

What to prepare

  • Prepare the person’s coverage information, care needs, your relationship and the tasks and hours being considered; keep any existing service assessment.

Steps to take

  1. Ask whether the recipient needs a separate assessment or authorization, which relatives may qualify and what enrollment or training the caregiver must complete.
  2. Request written confirmation of approved services, payment arrangements, time records and the date paid care may begin before assuming work is reimbursable.

What to check before relying on this: Payment is not automatic because someone has Medicaid or needs care. Program rules, budgets and family-member restrictions vary by state.

If that route does not work: If that route does not apply, ask the aging agency about unpaid-caregiver support or other programs relevant to the family, without assuming compensation.

Official and service sources: USAGov: possible payment for family care

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Organize benefits and records after a death

Confirm whether the funeral director reported the death to Social Security; if not, contact SSA promptly and ask about possible survivor benefits.

What to prepare

  • Keep identifying information privately, available certified death certificates, benefit notices and a list of agencies and accounts involved.

Steps to take

  1. Use USAGov’s notification checklist and ask each program what evidence and authority it needs; reporting to one agency does not notify every service.
  2. Record notifications and any separate survivor application. Ask the paying agency what to do with deposits received after death before spending or returning money.

What to check before relying on this: Benefit continuation, survivor eligibility and estate responsibilities depend on the program and circumstances. Do not assume a relative must personally pay every debt.

If that route does not work: If documents or authority are unclear, contact the relevant agency or legal aid about the estate and request the next manageable step.

Official and service sources: USAGov: agencies to notify after a death · USAGov: state social service directory · FTC: debts after a relative dies

Continue with a related guide: Read the related practical guide

Words you can use when asking for help

I need help with this specific task. What is the next action, which documents are needed, and what deadline applies? Can you explain the cost and offer interpretation or an accessible way to contact you?

Prepare my next task

Your choices stay in this open page. They are not sent to us or saved in this browser. Closing or reloading the page clears them. A downloaded file remains on your device; only download it where you can keep it private.

The guides and source links work without JavaScript. You can print the page and mark the steps on paper. The interactive checklist needs JavaScript.

Choose one task

This is your own follow-up date, not an official deadline. Check any deadline in the agency's notice. The calendar file creates an all-day event; choose notification settings in your calendar.

Follow up

  • Keep copies of what you send and the confirmation of receipt; a referral alone does not complete an application.
  • Read the reply for a deadline, missing record or separate review right. Ask the named office if the reply is unclear.

Common questions

Do I send personal documents to GetBenefits?

No. Use your own folder and the responsible agency’s official channel. This guide does not submit applications or store your case documents.

Will the outside service use my language?

The linked official page may be in English. Ask the office about interpretation and accessible communication before the appointment; the guide’s translation does not guarantee an outside service in that language.

Official and service sources

These sections explain access using the sources below. They do not confirm that a provider has openings, that you qualify, or that a professional has reviewed your case. Professional language and reader review of this edition remain pending.