Updated September 14, 2026 · General education, not individual professional advice.
Legal documents and care preferences
Ask a qualified attorney about financial power of attorney, health-care decision-making authority, wills, and local requirements. Advance directives record care wishes for times when a person cannot communicate or make the relevant decisions.
- Keep document locations and professional contacts in a secure index.
- Discuss care preferences with the people who may be asked to help.
- Include funeral or burial wishes if the person wants to discuss them. Do not treat a diagnosis alone as proof that someone cannot decide.
Learn more: NIA: Planning after a dementia diagnosis ↗ · NIA: Advance directives for health care ↗
Finding the right level of help
In-home support, adult day programs, respite, assisted living, and memory care offer different services. Review actual needs and what support is realistically available. There is no website score that can decide when memory care is needed.
- Ask providers about staffing, training, overnight support, emergencies, accessibility, and costs.
- Ask how they honor a person’s preferences and respond when someone declines care.
- Discuss repeated safety gaps, missed care, or exhausted caregivers with the care team and compare options together.
Learn more: Alzheimer’s Association: Care options ↗
Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and benefits
Medicare generally does not pay for ongoing non-medical long-term care. Medicaid eligibility and services depend on state rules. Coverage for specific services needs to be checked with the program or insurer; do not assume a dementia diagnosis makes every service covered.
- Request a written explanation of what is covered and what you would pay.
- Ask a benefits counselor about available local programs.
- Veterans and their supporters can ask the VA about eligibility for caregiver and care services.
Learn more: Medicare: Long-term care coverage ↗ · VA Caregiver Support Program ↗
Palliative care, hospice, and future wishes
Palliative care focuses on support for serious illness. Hospice focuses on comfort and quality of life near the end of life. Ask the treating team about the differences, eligibility, and how either option relates to the person’s goals.
- Ask what support is available at home and after hours.
- Discuss what comfort, meaningful contact, and preferred surroundings mean to the person.
- Write down questions without assuming that these services mean the same thing.
Learn more: NIA: Hospice and palliative care ↗
A first call for local support
The Eldercare Locator connects older adults and families with local services. Ask about an Area Agency on Aging, transport, meal programs, caregiver support, respite, and benefits counseling.
- Describe the kind of help you need and your general area; share only information needed for the service.
- Ask whether a service has a waiting list, fees, or eligibility requirements.
- Keep a short record of whom you called and the next agreed step.
Learn more: Eldercare Locator: Find local services ↗
Source links and educational wording checked on September 14, 2026. This is not a clinical review. For questions about your situation, contact a qualified medical, legal, or financial professional.