--- title: "Guides for families deciding on senior care | Senior Choice Care" description: "Nine printable guides for the conversations and decisions families actually face: refusing help, failing health, paying for care, and choosing well." url: https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/ updated: 2026-10-08 site: Senior Choice Care --- Guides for families # The guides we wish someone had handed us Nine guides for the situations families actually face: the parent who says "I'm fine," the hospital discharge with no plan, the money nobody told you how Medicare handles. Written in plain words, printed and shared more often than we can count. Start with whichever one sounds like your week. **All free · all printable** Updated October 8, 2026 In short Every guide here answers one real question a son, daughter, or spouse has asked us on the phone, in the order you'd ask it: what's happening to my parent, what do I do first, what do I say, what does it cost, and who pays. They're honest about trade-offs — including the times the right answer is "not yet" or "not this." If reading isn't how you take information, call [(800) 614-8388](tel:+1808388); the same help comes faster by voice, free, Monday through Saturday. **Last updated October 8, 2026** Guides are written and maintained by the Senior Choice Care team and updated as rules and costs change. General guidance; every family is different. ## If you're just starting [Getting started ### What to do when your parent's health starts failing The first things to do, in order: getting the real picture, the paperwork, home safety, money, and the conversation you've been postponing. 10 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/when-a-parents-health-starts-failing/) [Health ### Signs of dementia a doctor should hear about Normal forgetting versus the changes that need a real evaluation, what else it could be, and how to actually get one scheduled. 7 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/signs-of-dementia/) [Choosing ### The kinds of senior care, explained in plain words Home care, independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, hospice — what each is, who it fits, and what it costs. 6 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/care-options/) ## The hard conversations [The conversation ### How to help a loved one realize it's time to move from home What to say, what not to say, and a script you can borrow for the hardest talk of the year — plus what to do when the answer is still no. 8 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/when-its-time-to-move/) [The conversation ### When a parent refuses help Why "I'm fine" is usually fear, the small steps that work when the big talk doesn't, and the line where safety has to come first. 6 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/parent-refuses-help/) [For you ### Caregiver burnout: when you need help too The signs you're running on empty, what respite, adult day, and a family meeting can actually change, and who pays for the relief. 6 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/caregiver-burnout/) ## The money questions [Money ### What Medicare does and doesn't pay for Less than you think. The rehab stay and its rules, home health, the 2026 coinsurance numbers, and the four things families use instead. 6 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/what-medicare-covers/) [Money ### Paying for care: the five sources most families use Medicaid, VA Aid and Attendance, long-term care insurance, the house, and family money — how each really works, with real 2025 costs. 9 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/paying-for-care/) [Choosing ### Assisted living or care at home? An honest comparison What each really costs, when the costs converge, and the loneliness question most families forget to ask. 7 minute read **Read**](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/assisted-living-vs-home-care/) ### Rather ask a person than read nine pages? Tell us where things stand. We'll point you to the one guide that fits, or skip the reading and just talk you through it. [(800) 614-8388](tel:+1808388) [Have us call you](#gd-form) ## And when you're ready for the local part Guides explain how everything works. What they can't tell you is what's available on your parent's street — which communities are good, what aide hours cost in that county, whether your state's Medicaid program has a waitlist. That's what the [Near you](https://seniorchoicecare.com/near-you/) pages are for: state-by-state programs, city-by-city costs, and a person who knows those communities by name. ## Questions families ask us ### Where should I start if I don't even know what my question is? Start with [what to do when a parent's health starts failing](https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/when-a-parents-health-starts-failing/). It's the guide for the stage before the stage — when something feels wrong but nothing has a name yet. Or skip straight to a phone call; sorting out the question is genuinely our favorite part of the job. ### Can I print these or share them with my siblings? Yes — every guide has a print button, and they're formatted to survive a printer and a kitchen table. Sharing them is one of the best ways to get a sibling on the same page before the family conversation. ### Are these guides trying to sell me something? They're free, and Senior Choice Care is paid by the partners in our network when they serve a family we introduce — never by you. Each guide includes honest trade-offs, including when the right answer is to do nothing yet or to call a public agency instead of us. If a guide wouldn't be useful to you on its own, it doesn't belong on this page. ### Do the cost figures in the guides apply to my parent's city? The national medians give you the shape of the numbers; local medians can run well above or below them. Our city pages carry local figures where your parent lives, and a ten-minute call will get you realistic ranges for their specific situation. ### My parent needs help in a state you don't have a city page for. Can you still help? Yes. The guides apply everywhere, and the phone line does too — we help families in every state, and where our partner network doesn't reach, we'll point you to the Area Agency on Aging that does, through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. Sources across the guides: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025; Medicare.gov coverage pages; Medicaid.gov Long-Term Services and Supports; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pension rates (effective Dec. 1, 2025); Eldercare Locator, U.S. Administration for Community Living; National Institute on Aging long-term care resources. ## Browse by topic - [Care options](https://seniorchoicecare.com/care-options/) - [Paying for care](https://seniorchoicecare.com/paying-for-care/) - [Care near your parent](https://seniorchoicecare.com/near-you/) - [Who we are](https://seniorchoicecare.com/about/) - [Contact](https://seniorchoicecare.com/contact/) --- Canonical page: https://seniorchoicecare.com/guides/