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What about staying home a little longer?
Sometimes the right answer is not yet. These programs can make home safer and more manageable, and some pay for help that delays a move.
Meals on Wheels America
Search by ZIP code for the local Meals on Wheels provider, which delivers meals and a friendly check-in to older adults who have trouble shopping or cooking. Meals may be free, by donation, or on a sliding scale.
When to use it: When a parent living alone is skipping meals, losing weight, or can no longer shop or cook safely.
Many local programs have waitlists and require an assessment, so apply early.
U.S. Administration for Community Living, run by USAging
The free national service that connects you by phone, text, chat or web to your parent's local Area Agency on Aging, which can point you to in-home help such as home-delivered meals and caregiver support.
When to use it: When you want your parent to stay home longer and need to know what local help exists and who pays for it.
A national nonprofit whose local affiliates use volunteers to make free home repairs and safety improvements so people can keep living safely at home.
When to use it: When a parent owns their home and needs repairs or safety changes they cannot afford.
Eligibility and how to apply vary by local affiliate, and not every area has one.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development
Very low-income homeowners in eligible rural areas can get repair loans up to $40,000, and those 62 and older can get grants up to $10,000 to remove health and safety hazards, with up to $50,000 combined.
When to use it: When a parent in a rural area owns a home that needs safety repairs they cannot afford.
Only for owner-occupied homes in USDA-eligible rural areas with income under the county's very-low limit; apply through the local Rural Development office.
USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Fall Prevention Center of Excellence
A university-run clearinghouse listing home modification and repair programs, policies and funding sources by state, to help make a home safer for aging in place.
When to use it: When you need grab bars, ramps, bathroom changes or other safety updates and want to find programs that help pay.
National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA)
Adult day centers offer supervised daytime care, activities, meals and sometimes health services, so a parent can stay at home while a family caregiver works or rests. NADSA's locator lists member centers.
When to use it: When a parent cannot safely be alone during the day but does not need to move out yet.
The locator only shows NADSA member centers, so also ask your Area Agency on Aging about others nearby.
Medicare and Medicaid
PACE provides all medical care, prescriptions and many long-term care services through one team, often with a day center and transportation, so people who qualify for nursing home care can keep living at home. It is for people 55 and older who live in a PACE service area.
When to use it: When a parent needs nursing-home-level care but you want them to stay home, especially if they have or may qualify for Medicaid.
PACE is only offered in some areas, and members generally must use PACE's own doctors and providers.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Medicare covers part-time skilled nursing, therapy and some aide visits at home for homebound people who need skilled care. It does not pay for 24-hour care, meal delivery, housekeeping, or help with bathing and dressing when that is the only care needed.
When to use it: Before you count on Medicare to pay for help at home, so you know what it will and will not cover.
Everyday help like bathing, dressing and supervision (home care) is usually paid privately, by long-term care insurance, or by Medicaid, not by Medicare.
24/7
Villages are neighborhood membership groups that help older adults stay in their homes with volunteer rides, errands, small repairs and social events. The network's map shows over 170 open villages and more in development.
When to use it: When a parent wants to stay in their neighborhood and could use a local network of volunteers and neighbors.
Villages are not in every area and most charge a yearly membership fee set locally.
AT3 Center, funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living
Every state and territory has a federally funded assistive technology program where you can try out devices, borrow equipment, get free or low-cost reused items, and sometimes finance purchases. The AT3 Center lists each state's program and contacts.
When to use it: Before buying walkers, lifts, hearing or vision aids, or home safety gadgets, to try or borrow them first.