Resources for caregivers, these are not paid endorsements.
Legal
Nolo— Books, legal forms, guides, and legal referrals. A good place to find power of attorney forms, estate documents, wills, and more.
Legal Zoom — Medical directives, wills, estate plans, and other necessary documents.
Trust & Will — Trusts, wills, and assistance with probate issues.
Prepare For Your Care — Advanced care directives and helpful guides to talking about end-of-life decisions.
Medical
Mayo Clinic — A go-to for resarching diseases, odd symptoms, and test results.
Clevelend Clinic — Another great resource for understanding not just diseases but also drugs, procedures, and tests.
PDR — For researching drug interactions and side effects.
National Kidney Foundation — Resources for understanding Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and other issues impacting the kidneys.
American Heart Association —All things heart related. A good place for details on heart-healthy diets and understanding stroke, heart attacks, hypertension, and heart disease.
Pill Identifier Wizard – An easy way to identify pills by imprint, shape, and color.
Downsizing and Moving
National Association of Specialty & Senior Move Managers — Help for moving, downsizing, and relocating seniors.
National Assocciation of Productivity & Organizing Professionals — Professional organizers to help with downsizing and organizing. Many of these pros have specific training and experience in dealing with hoarding. They can also assist with preparing for estate sales.
Financial
Reverse Mortgages — A breakdown from the Federal Trade Commission on what reverse mortgages are and who they might be best for.
RMD Calculator — A resource from the government to calculate required minimum distributions.
Housing And Care
Seniorly — A resource for finding senior living, memory care, and other facilities.
Genworth Cost Of Care — An estimate of expenses for care by major metro.
Wellbeing
National Council On Aging — Local councils provide programs for seniors and resources for caretakers. The NCOA is also a policy and advocacy group for the rights of seniors and issues around eldercare.
AARP Caregiving Hub — A resource page for caregivers. This has lots of articles on how to care for certain conditions and information on important topics like respite care and burnout.
Caregiving Across Generations — Advocacy and support for caregivers.
Transportation
GoGo Grandparent — This service is monitored 24/7 and you can call and request a ride for your loved one. It's not available everywhere and there are additional fees but it provides additional piece of mind and drivers are carefully vetted.
Support
Parenting Aging Parents — This group has made a huge difference in how I think about my caregiving journey. Members of this private group share advice, frustrations, and support for each other in a non-judgmental way.
Books (these are Amazon Affiliate links)
Caregivers Are Mad As Hell
An honest no-holds-barred look at what it means to be a caregiver. If you've ever wanted to scream or cry about your caregiver experience, this is the book for you.
How To Care For Aging Parent
The soup-to-nuts guide for caring for your parents -- this encylopedia-length book is the go-to resource for everything you might encounter along your caregiving journey from legal issues to mecial concerns and much more.
The 36-Hour Day
A guide for caring for those with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia but has resources for all sorts of caregivers.
Coping With Your Difficult Older Parent : A Guide for Stressed-Out Children
This is a fast read and an important guide if you have a parent who is complaining, demanding, argumentative, and generally hard to deal with. It contains lots of helpful tips on boundary settings and coping with emotions on both sides of the relationship.
A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents--and Ourselves
A soft and sympathetic look at aging parents and the things we all need to know as we age. This book is both a memoir and a guide to how to cope with a parent's aging and what facilities can and can't do.
Tools (these are Amazon Affiliate links)
Unger Rugged Reacher
A 42.5” reacher, sturdy and yet not too heavy. Great for reaching higher shelves securely. My mother also used this to grab packages from her front door.
Leg Lifter
My mother uses this 42-inch leg lifter with a rigid foot loop and multiple handles. This works well for people who may need assistance lifting a leg onto a bed or into a car but are still mobile enough to do it themselves.
Karman Wheelchair Store
Karman chairs are a nice alternative to the Drive Medical chairs that are often issued by Medicare. They are lightweight and easy to collapse. Karman also sells walkers and rollators.