Services

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides free home health agencies finder and comparison tool on its Medicare website. Search by location to find Medicare-certified home health agencies. Direct contact information, patient care quality ratings, and patient survey results can be found and compared for each agency. Additionally, geographic distance is clearly displayed alongside the data, and users can compare up to three agencies side-by-side at one time.

Well Spouse is a membership organization that focuses on individuals caring for a chronically ill or disabled partner. You can join as a non-supporting member, which is free for one year. Well Spouse provides a local directory of volunteer-led support groups, and organizes regional respite weekends and a national conference for caregivers.

The American Cancer Society offers free treatment and support programs for people with cancer, those in recovery, caregivers, and more. The ACS also offers online support communities such as the Cancer Survivors Network, and can help you find other free or low-cost resources in your area.

This community-based nonprofit organization offers various types of assistance to caregivers, including resources, educational programs, and services. Use the Family Care Navigator to find support services for caregivers, legal resources, disease specific organizations, and more, all in your area. Family Caregiver Alliance also offers online support groups.

Dignity Memorial is the largest network of funeral, cremation, and cemetery services in North America. The network includes more than 2,000 providers across the United States and Canada. Use their website to find a funeral home, cremation provider, or cemetery near you.

The Compassionate Friends is a nationwide non-profit resource dedicated to helping families grieve the loss of a child, with several chapters that meet locally in cities across the United States. The program is free, with no religious affiliation. The Compassionate Friends brings together seasoned grievers and newly bereaved members. At each monthly meeting, participants gather with others who have also experienced the pain of losing a child.  

GriefShare is a grief support group that meets weekly for 13 weeks. Each meeting is self-contained—you can attend your first session at any point in the series—and includes a video seminar featuring expert advice on grief and recovery followed by a group discussion. Additionally, members receive workbooks in which they can journal personal thoughts or emotions in between meetings. It is a non-denominational Christian-based support group, and people from any or no religion are encouraged to attend. GriefShare is a nationwide resource, and has several groups that meet nationwide. Most locations charge a $15–$25 registration fee for a 13-week cycle.  

Funerals360 is a comprehensive funeral planning website that lets you search for funeral homes and other services, including florists, headstones, cemeteries, and more. The site also offers tools such as funeral announcements and online memorials. You can choose to plan a funeral in advance or find help for planning one immediately. Users can message vendors directly from the site as well as leave reviews.

This national network is affiliated with 270 local estate planning councils all over the nation. You can search its database to find the ones nearest to you. The professionals in the network are Accredited Estate Planners, a designation awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. The database is searchable by name, state, or zip code.

This professional organization includes over 2,600 lawyers, judges, and law professionals all over the United States, Canada, and other foreign countries. Its members, also known as fellows, are experienced in estate planning, probate procedures, wills and trusts, and more. Members must be elected to be fellows based on their reputation, skill, and contributions to their field. They must have no less than 10 years of experience in estate planning or probate and trust law.

Smooth Transitions offers assistance in downsizing, moving, or transitioning to a different living situation. They take care of items, arrange the move, discard unwanted items, and unpack. Fees are based on hourly rates. It has locations all over the continental U.S., Canada, and New Zealand. Each location is locally owned and operated. It is a member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers.

Rainbow International offers biohazard cleanup in situations such as accidental death, suicide, and infectious disease. Staff carry the Bloodborne Pathogen Certification and are trained to deal with sensitive and emotional matters. 24/7 emergency service is available. Request a job quote online.

Founded in 2015, Parting is an online directory that allows people to search for funeral homes across the U.S. Start by entering your city or zip code; the site then walks you through a series of short questions before finding a list of funeral homes in your area that meet your needs. You can sort by filters such as price, ratings, and reviews as well as the type of burial and memorial you would like. Once you select a business, it lists even more specific costs including the cost of basic services, use of facilities for the visitation, and more.

National Funeral Directors Association represents more than 10,000 funeral homes in the U.S. and 49 countries around the world. Enter your city or zip code and results are sorted by location. The business’s address and phone number are available, but you must contact the funeral home for information on pricing. It offers educational resources such as articles on grief support, funeral planning, and a glossary of terms.

The National Elder Law Foundation is the only national organization certifying those who practice elder and special needs law. The Certified Elder Law Attorney designation given to professionals is certified by the American Bar Association. CELAs must have practiced law for at least five years and spent at least half of their experience specializing in elder law. There are nearly 500 CELAs throughout the country, and you can search for them by name, state or zip code.

Members of the National Association of Senior Move Managers help older adults and their families through the difficult process of downsizing and relocation. NASMM is comprised of over 900 companies throughout the U.S., Canada, and abroad, and all members have met strict vetting requirements. On their site you can find a senior move manager in your area, read more about what they do and how they can help, and more.

The National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals is an online directory of consultants, organizers, move management and relocation professionals, and more. For end-of-life situations, you can find residential services for seniors such as downsizing, estate sale and management, home staging, and more. Simply search by area or by service, and it will provide a list of a businesses specializing in the task needed.

Mom’s Meals provides fresh-made, home-delivered meals tailored to a variety of special diets, including heart-friendly, low sodium, diabetic-friendly, gluten free, vegetarian, or pureed. The menus include a variety of ethnic cuisines, and are are designed by dietitians to be nutritionally balanced. Customers can order in quantities of seven, 10, 14 or 21 meals. Meals start at $6.99 each.

Meals on Wheels is a nationwide program with over 5,000 community and locally-affiliated programs that partners with senior centers across the U.S. to provide home-delivered meals (as well as meals in group settings at senior centers or cafes). The daily meal deliveries provide seniors with a friendly visit as well as a safety check to ensure that an emergency is reported. Meals can be tailored to meet dietary needs and cultural or ethnic preferences. Costs vary from free to a small amount, depending on your local agency.

Junkluggers is an eco-friendly service that removes junk and other items from homes, offices, construction sites, or any location, donating or recycling as many of the items as possible. (Customers receive a tax-deductible receipt for items that are donated.) Junkluggers currently operates in 13 states and offers free estimates and same- and next-day appointments.

Healthy Chef Creations’ Healthy Senior Program is a nationwide program providing nutritionally balanced meals for older adults. Each meal is free of preservatives and artificial ingredients, and available in different portion sizes. They are also low in sodium, saturated fat, and sugars, are customized to provide the necessary calories, vitamins, and minerals, and can be tailored to dietary preferences, food allergies, and other restrictions. Five- and seven-day delivery plans are available.

FindLaw offers lawyer finding services, legal information, news, blogs, forums and do-it-yourself legal forms. It even has a separate site for legal professionals to search for jobs, read newsletters, read previous cases and more. To find a lawyer, browse by city, state, or legal issue.

Elder Law Answers provides lawyer finding services, free guides, and a question and answer forum. Guided topics cover basic rules of Medicaid eligibility, Medicaid alternatives, nursing home alternatives, and more. Attorneys sign up to be included in the database; the site can connect you with the lawyer you choose.

Caring Transitions offers relocation services, downsizing services, estate sales, and online auctions for seniors looking to move homes or transition to assisted living. It has located all over the U.S. including Hawaii. Franchise owners are certified relocation and transition specialists.

1-800-Got Junk removes anything non-hazardous including furniture, appliances, electronics, tires, construction debris, and yard waste. Unwanted items are then recycled, donated, or disposed. Two people must be able to lift the items; price is based on the volume of items removed. 1-800-Got Junk offers same-day service, with appointments booked in two-hour time slots. The company operates in 43 states in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

The non-profit National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization allows users to search for hospices or palliative care near them, sorted by distance. Information for each facility includes contact information, referral contacts, areas served, site-specific information (like the number of beds), program information, and palliative care program information.

This free tool, created by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, lets users find nearby hospices and compare different facilities based on the quality of care provided. The tool provides 5-star quality ratings for pain management, patient care, and more, and also shows you how each hospice’s statistics compare to the national average. Profiles include contact information and ownership.

The U.S. News and World Report Palliative Care Specialist Finder allows anyone to freely search for a range of palliative care specialists in their area. Specialist profiles include years of experience held, licensure and certifications, awards and education, contact information, accepted insurances, hospital affiliation, and more. Additionally, users may filter results by years of experience, hospital affiliation, and more.

The Palliative Care Provider Directory is a public resource from the Center to Advance Palliative Care, a national organization dedicated to the advancement of palliative care options for those in need. The tool helps find palliative care based on geographical location and type of care: in your home, a nursing home, a hospital, or an office/clinic. Contact information is included for each provider, along with, in some cases, additional information, such as the age range the provider serves.

AgingCare.com lets you explore a variety of in-home care and hospice agencies close to you, no registration required. Each provider comes with customer ratings and reviews, as well as a list of offered services. Users can also submit their contact information to inquire about pay rates and availability. AgingCare.com also offers free consultations with its Care Advisors to help compare facilities or get more information.

CareLinx helps you search for qualified, pre-screened caretakers in your area who can provide the exact level of care needed (from providing companionship to helping the senior get dressed), as soon as it is needed. Once you fill out the online form and provide payment information, a CareLinx advisor will reach out to walk you through next steps, such as finding and interviewing caregivers. Online users can also browse through a long list of caretaker profiles that include experience, skills, pay rate, and more.

Care.com connects you to vetted individuals across the nation available for hire to take care of your loved ones. Make a simple, free profile on the website and Care.com will match you with available caretakers nearby that fit your requirements, such as how soon and how often care is needed, whether your loved one has specific health concerns, and the type of care you need (whether companion, respite, or something else). You can specify and filter results based on pay rate, age, additional requirements needed, and more. All caretakers are verified through background checks by Care.com, and come with ratings, reviews, photos, and other essential information.

The U.S. government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides a free nursing home finder and comparison tool on its Medicare website. Nursing homes, all certified by Medicare and/or Medicaid, are searchable by location, and each nursing home is rated on multiple five-star scales in different categories: overall rating, health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. Users can compare up to three nursing homes side-by-side at one time.

U.S. News ranks nursing homes based on a combination of factors, including health inspections and complaints, staffing, medical care quality measures, and fire safety. The data used come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Users can search for a specific nursing home, or search by zip code or city to find facilities close by. Results are sorted by rating, although users can apply unique filters to their searches. Each facility has a general overview and detailed list of features and amenities, direct contact information, size, other nearby nursing homes and more.

Grace helps aging adults find assisted living or hospice care in their area. Facilities are “Grace approved,” and can be sorted by location, rating, or Grace approval. Each place is accompanied by a facility-provided general description and a short form to fill out for those who wish the facility to contact them directly. Users may also leave ratings and reviews of different facilities. While Grace is a newer company and therefore doesn’t have as many user ratings and reviews or as detailed information as more established search services, it provides great geographic coverage and returns helpful information based on searching alone.

Senior Living is an easily navigable search tool for older adults in need of assisted living, nursing homes, independent living, memory care, and more. Upon searching, an abundance of results appear, sorted by distance. Almost all facilities have user ratings, and each has a long, detailed description covering all necessary aspects that might help the user narrow down their options, such as health services provided at the facility and general features. For those interested, the site gives contact information to directly contact a facility, and like most sites, Senior Living also displays detailed pricing information and local expert advice for free with the submission of your basic contact information (name, email, phone) if so desired.

Senior Advisor is like the Yelp of assisted living, nursing homes, independent living, and other older adult care options. Facilities are sorted by location, and each has a wide range of user ratings and reviews, photos, and more. Facilities are rated by five values: care, value, friendliness, cleanliness, and activities. A list of services provided by each location is also available. You can input basic contact information (no payment information will ever be asked) to view detailed pricing options online or search for facilities based on their own unique requirements. Like most other older adult care finder websites, Senior Advisor provides free consultation or referrals via phone or email if desired.

Community Resource Provider is a search service provided by the Alzheimer’s Association, but is free to use for anyone looking for assisted living, nursing homes, hospice, in-home care, adult day care, resources for caregivers, and more. It allows for advanced search options, like language or specialized care options, and no personal information is ever required to use the site. Results are sorted by location, and most descriptions provide detailed lists of services provided, on-site services, accepted payment methods, amenities, and more.

Avvo offers a variety of legal help from fixed-fee service bundles to lawyer finding services. You can search for lawyers by service and location, and results include each lawyer’s years of practice, cost, practice areas, client reviews, attorney endorsements and more. In addition to user ratings (on a 5-star scale), lawyers are rated by Avvo on a scale of 1 to 10.

Caring.com is an easy-to-use search tool to help older adults and their caregivers find assisted living, nursing homes, hospice care, adult day care, memory care, and more. Users specify what type of care they’re searching for and in what location, and Caring sorts results by either distance or user rating and reviews. Each facility description typically includes reviews, photos, features (such as dining options or health services), a general description provided by the facility, specific location, and links to surrounding facilities, as well as basic contact information. The site provides free referrals for consumers for more detailed information, such as payment options or scheduling a tour.