Where to find help—and what to ask
A useful resource connects a question to someone who can answer it. Start with the need, then verify the local service, eligibility and availability directly.
The service-locator information below is for the United States. The research and planning guides may also be useful elsewhere, but local services and rules need to be checked in the relevant country.
Find local aging-service contacts
The Eldercare Locator, a public service of the Administration for Community Living, connects older adults and families with local services. Search by location or call or text 1-800-677-1116. [22]
Prepare a brief description of the need: transportation, help at home, meals, caregiver support or another specific task. Ask who covers the address, how to contact them and what information they will need. A referral is the beginning of the conversation, not confirmation that support has been booked.
Plan for living at home
The National Institute on Aging provides guidance on planning for aging at home, including support needs and practical arrangements. [20]
Read NIA’s aging-in-place guidance
Use it alongside a list of what is becoming difficult in your own week. Bring unresolved health, equipment or assistance questions to the relevant professional rather than assuming general information resolves an individual need.
Review home and fall-prevention questions
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides older-adult fall-prevention guidance. [21]
Read CDC’s prevention guidance
Record the concern you want to discuss: a previous fall, a difficult route through the home or uncertainty about appropriate support. Specific examples make a professional conversation more useful.
Follow the Village research
The Villages Research resource library, associated with the Rutgers Hub for Aging Collaboration, provides access to publications on the Village model. [23]
For plain-language explanations of selected findings, use our study collection. For a local membership decision, check the actual program’s current services and terms.
Five questions before relying on a service
Ask whether it serves the person’s address and need; what eligibility or assessment applies; what the price or funding arrangement includes; how an accepted request is confirmed; and what happens if the service cannot be delivered.
Record the date, organization and person who answered. Keep the details with the relevant appointment or support plan, not in a collection of unrelated notes.
Bring the answers together
Use the aging-in-place worksheet for the wider plan, the caregiver support table for responsibilities and the medical ride checklist for a specific journey.
Sources
[22] Administration for Community Living. Eldercare Locator. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Source.
[20] National Institute on Aging (2023). Aging in Place: Growing Older at Home. National Institutes of Health. Source.
[21] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing Falls and Hip Fractures. CDC. Source.
[23] Rutgers Hub for Aging Collaboration — Villages Research. Resource Library. Villages Research. Source.