Hiring help at home
Prepare questions, check references, discuss duties clearly, and understand what to verify before bringing someone into the home.
Review the hiring guide →
Support for family caregivers
Caregiver Help
Get practical help with hiring home care, arranging respite, coordinating transportation and meals, handling housing decisions, and connecting with support for someone you care about.
What do you need help with?
Caregiver support by situation
Caregiving often involves several needs at once. Start with the problem creating the most pressure right now, then move into the service or resource that fits it.
Respite and time away
Look for short-term care, adult day programs, in-home respite, or other options that can give a family caregiver scheduled relief.
Search home-care support →Transportation and appointments
Review community transportation, ride programs, medical transportation, and other ways to make appointments and errands easier to manage.
Search transportation →Meals and daily support
Look into meal delivery, community meal programs, grocery support, and other help that can reduce daily caregiving tasks.
Search meal support →Housing and care changes
When living at home is getting harder, review senior housing and supportive living options before a crisis forces the decision.
Search housing help →Support for the caregiver
Caregiver groups, local aging organizations, classes, companionship programs, and community resources can make caregiving less isolating.
Review community support →Need local practical help?
Use Senior Services Near Me
Search for home care, transportation, meal support, housing, Medicare help, legal and financial assistance, health services, and community programs.
A practical caregiving path
Four steps when the situation starts changing
Name the immediate need
Start with the issue creating the most risk or pressure: safety, meals, transportation, medication, personal care, or supervision.
Write down what help is needed
List the tasks, days, times, transportation needs, mobility concerns, and other details a provider would need to know.
Check local options
Review nearby providers and community resources, then ask about availability, qualifications, costs, and eligibility.
Confirm the arrangement
Put schedules, duties, rates, emergency contacts, and important expectations in writing before care begins.
Before choosing help
What to verify
Who provides the care?
Ask about screening, qualifications, supervision, training, insurance, backup coverage, and who to contact if something changes.
What exactly is included?
Get duties, schedules, rates, minimum hours, transportation, meal help, medication reminders, and other responsibilities in writing.
What will it really cost?
Ask about hourly or daily rates, deposits, cancellation fees, overtime, holidays, transportation charges, and what benefits may cover.
What happens in an emergency?
Know who is called, how family is contacted, what backup arrangements exist, and how urgent changes in care are handled.
Caregiver support counts too
The person coordinating care may also need information, scheduled relief, transportation help, support groups, or another family member to share responsibilities. The plan should work for the caregiver as well as the person receiving help.
Caregiver support close to home
Match the need with the right local help
Start with the practical problem you are trying to solve today, then use the local-services tool to review nearby options.