# seniorcare.si > Plain answers about caring for an aging parent: Medicare, Medicaid, assisted living, home care, VA benefits and caregiving, then licensed care providers near you. seniorcare.si is a free, independent guide that answers questions about caring for an aging parent in plain language, points to the official place to confirm each answer, and shows licensed care providers (assisted living, home care, home health, nursing homes, hospice, elder law) near a ZIP code. It draws on Medicare (CMS) provider data, state licensing records, and what Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, Social Security, states and Area Agencies on Aging publish. Visitors can ask their own question at https://seniorcare.si/ (or link directly with https://seniorcare.si/?q=your+question) and get a plain answer that ends with the official place to confirm it and local help matched to their ZIP code. Free, no account, no name required. ## Guides - [Mom broke her hip. Will Medicare pay for rehab?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/mom-broke-her-hip-will-medicare-pay-for-rehab): Usually, yes. If Mom broke her hip and was formally admitted to the hospital, Medicare Part A generally covers rehab afterward in an inpatient rehab facility or a skilled nursing facility, plus home health or outpatient therapy later, as long as she needs skilled care. - [Does Medicare pay for assisted living?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/does-medicare-pay-for-assisted-living): No. Medicare does not pay for assisted living, including rent, meals or help with bathing and dressing. Medicare still covers a resident's doctor visits, hospital care, drugs (through Part D) and some home health or hospice services delivered inside the community. - [Does Medicare pay for home care (in-home caregivers)?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/does-medicare-pay-for-home-care): Only partly. Medicare pays for part-time skilled home health care, such as nursing or therapy, when your parent is homebound and a doctor orders it, but it does not pay for in-home caregivers who only help with bathing, dressing, meals, housekeeping or 24-hour supervision. - [When is it time for memory care?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/when-is-it-time-for-memory-care): It's usually time for memory care when your parent's dementia creates safety risks, like wandering, leaving the stove on or falls, or when their care needs, especially at night, are more than you or their current home can safely handle, even with outside help. - [Can Medicaid pay for a nursing home if Mom has savings?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/can-medicaid-pay-for-nursing-home-if-mom-has-savings): Yes, but usually not until her countable savings are reduced to her state's Medicaid limit. Families do this through a legal "spend-down," and gifts or transfers made in the 5-year look-back period can delay coverage. - [Is Dad eligible for VA Aid and Attendance? (2026 rates)](https://seniorcare.si/guides/va-aid-and-attendance-eligibility-2026-rates): He may be. VA Aid and Attendance is an add-on to the VA pension for wartime veterans (and surviving spouses) who meet income and net worth limits and need help with daily activities, are bedridden, live in a nursing home, or have severe vision loss. For a single veteran, the maximum is $29,093 a year as of December 1, 2025. - [What legal documents do we need before a crisis (POA, health care proxy)?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/legal-documents-to-have-before-a-crisis): Most families need five documents signed while the parent still has the mental capacity to sign: a durable financial power of attorney, a health care power of attorney (health care proxy), a living will or advance directive, a HIPAA authorization, and a will. - [How to make a bathroom safer after a fall](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-make-a-bathroom-safer-after-a-fall): To make a bathroom safer after a fall, install grab bars anchored into wall studs by the toilet and in the shower, add a shower chair or tub transfer bench, use non-slip mats, raise the toilet seat, add night lights and a handheld shower head, and remove loose rugs. - [How to talk to a parent about giving up driving](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-talk-to-a-parent-about-giving-up-driving): To talk to a parent about giving up driving, start early and in private, describe specific things you've seen rather than their age, have a ride plan ready, and suggest a neutral expert, such as their doctor or a driver rehabilitation specialist, to evaluate their driving. - [Caregiver burnout: where to get respite care](https://seniorcare.si/guides/caregiver-burnout-respite-care): If you're burned out, respite care gives you a break while someone else cares for your parent. You can get it through in-home aides, adult day programs or short stays in assisted living or a nursing home, and Medicaid, the VA, hospice, Medicare's GUIDE dementia model and local Area Agencies on Aging may help pay. - [How to check a nursing home's inspection report on Medicare.gov Care Compare](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-check-a-nursing-home-inspection-record): To check a nursing home's inspection record, go to Medicare's Care Compare at Medicare.gov/care-compare, search nursing homes by name or ZIP code, open the facility's page, and review its star ratings, the Health Inspections section and the full list of cited deficiencies. - [Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare: which is better for my parent?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/medicare-advantage-vs-original-medicare-for-a-parent): It depends on your parent's health, doctors and budget. Original Medicare with a Medigap policy and Part D usually costs more each month but lets them see any doctor who takes Medicare with few approvals, while Medicare Advantage often has lower premiums and extras but uses networks, prior authorization and copays up to a yearly limit. - [What should my parent review during Medicare Open Enrollment?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/what-to-review-during-medicare-open-enrollment): During Medicare Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7, 2026, your parent should review their plan's Annual Notice of Change, check that every drug, doctor and pharmacy is still covered for 2027, and compare total yearly costs with other plans. Changes start January 1, 2027. - [How do I help my parent switch Part D plans?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-help-a-parent-switch-part-d-plans): To help a parent switch Part D plans, list their medications and pharmacy, compare plans on Medicare's Plan Finder during Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7, 2026), and enroll in the new plan. Joining a new Part D plan automatically ends the old one, starting January 1, 2027. - [When can my parent buy a Medigap policy?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/when-can-you-buy-a-medigap-policy): The best time for your parent to buy a Medigap policy is their 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period, which starts the first month they are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During it, insurers must sell them any Medigap plan without health questions; afterward, in most states, they can be denied or charged more unless a guaranteed issue right applies. - [What is the Medicare 3-day hospital rule and observation status?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/medicare-3-day-hospital-rule-observation-status): The Medicare 3-day rule means Original Medicare covers skilled nursing facility care only after your parent has been a hospital inpatient for at least 3 days in a row. Days under "observation status" are outpatient days and do not count, even if your parent stayed overnight in a regular hospital bed. - [How many days of skilled nursing does Medicare cover?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-many-days-of-skilled-nursing-does-medicare-cover): Medicare covers up to 100 days of skilled nursing facility care per benefit period, but only while your parent needs daily skilled care. In 2026, days 1 to 20 cost $0, days 21 to 100 cost $217 per day, and Medicare pays nothing after day 100. - [Does Medicare cover hospice?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/does-medicare-cover-hospice): Yes. Medicare Part A covers hospice care when a hospice doctor and your parent's doctor certify a terminal illness with a life expectancy of 6 months or less and your parent chooses comfort care instead of treatment to cure the illness. Covered hospice care is generally $0, with up to a $5 copay per prescription for symptom drugs. - [How much does in-home care cost per hour?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-much-does-in-home-care-cost-per-hour): In-home care from a non-medical caregiver cost a national median of about $35 an hour in 2025, based on a large national survey of providers. Rates vary widely by state and city, and are often higher in high-cost areas. - [How can I get paid as a caregiver for my parent?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-get-paid-as-a-caregiver-for-a-parent): You may be able to get paid to care for your parent through your state's Medicaid home care programs that let the person choose their caregiver, VA programs for veterans, some long-term care insurance policies, or a written personal care agreement paid from your parent's own money. - [What is an Area Agency on Aging?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/what-is-an-area-agency-on-aging): An Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is a local public or nonprofit agency, designated by your state, that helps older adults and family caregivers find and use services like home-delivered meals, in-home help, transportation, caregiver respite, legal aid and Medicare counseling. Find yours through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. - [Does my parent qualify for a Medicare Savings Program or Extra Help?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/medicare-savings-programs-and-extra-help): Your parent may qualify if their income and savings are limited. In 2026, Medicare Savings Programs can pay the $202.90 monthly Part B premium for a single person with monthly income up to about $1,816 and resources up to $9,950, and Extra Help lowers drug costs for incomes up to $23,940 a year and resources up to $18,090. - [Does Medicare cover dental, vision and hearing?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/does-medicare-cover-dental-vision-and-hearing): Mostly no. Original Medicare doesn't cover routine dental care like cleanings, fillings and dentures, routine eye exams for glasses, or hearing aids and the exams to fit them. There are a few exceptions, such as one pair of eyeglasses after cataract surgery with a lens implant and some dental care tied to certain medical treatments. Many Medicare Advantage plans offer some dental, vision and hearing benefits, and Open Enrollment from October 15 to December 7 is the time to compare them. - [How do you appeal a Medicare denial?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-appeal-a-medicare-denial): Start with the notice that explains the denial, because it lists your deadline and where to send the appeal. In Original Medicare, you generally have 120 days after you get your Medicare Summary Notice to ask for a redetermination. Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans usually give you 65 days from the plan's denial notice. If a hospital, nursing facility, home health agency or hospice is ending covered care too soon, you can ask for a fast appeal with tight deadlines. - [How do you check an assisted living facility's inspection reports?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-check-assisted-living-inspection-reports): Assisted living is licensed and inspected by each state, not by Medicare, so you won't find it on Medicare's Care Compare tool. Instead, look up the facility through your state's assisted living licensing agency, which keeps its license status, inspection results and complaint findings. Rules, report names and how easy reports are to find vary a lot by state. Your local long-term care ombudsman can also tell you what to look for, for free. - [How to find senior care near you](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-find-senior-care-near-me): Start with your parent's ZIP code and three free tools: the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) to reach the local Area Agency on Aging, Medicare's Care Compare to find and compare nursing homes, home health agencies and hospices, and your state's licensing lookup for assisted living and in-home care agencies. Decide what level of care your parent needs first, then compare inspection records, costs and how each place handles your parent's specific needs. - [What is the Medicare Part B premium in 2026?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/medicare-part-b-premium-2026): The standard Medicare Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026, up from $185.00 in 2025, and the yearly Part B deductible is $283. People with higher incomes pay more through an income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA), starting above $109,000 for single filers or $218,000 for joint filers, based on tax returns from two years earlier. People with limited income may get help through a Medicare Savings Program. - [What is the National Family Caregiver Support Program?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/what-is-the-national-family-caregiver-support-program): The National Family Caregiver Support Program is a federal program, created in 2000 under the Older Americans Act, that helps unpaid family caregivers keep going. It funds five kinds of help: information, help getting services, counseling and support groups and training, respite care, and limited supplemental services. You apply through your local Area Agency on Aging, which you can find through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. - [Does Medicare pay for respite care?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/does-medicare-pay-for-respite-care): Medicare pays for respite care only when your parent is in hospice. Then the hospice team can arrange a short inpatient stay so the family caregiver can rest, and your parent may pay 5% of the Medicare-approved amount. Outside hospice, Medicare doesn't pay for respite. Medicaid home- and community-based programs, the VA, Area Agencies on Aging and state Lifespan Respite programs may help instead. - [How to lower IRMAA with Form SSA-44](https://seniorcare.si/guides/how-to-lower-irmaa-form-ssa-44): If your parent pays IRMAA, the higher-income surcharge on Medicare Part B and Part D premiums, and their income has dropped because of a life-changing event, they can ask Social Security to use a more recent year's income by filing Form SSA-44. The qualifying events are marriage, divorce or annulment, death of a spouse, work stoppage, work reduction, loss of income-producing property, loss of pension income and an employer settlement payment. They can file online through a my Social Security account, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, by mail or fax, or in person. - [What is the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31)?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/medicare-advantage-open-enrollment-period): The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 to March 31 each year. If your parent is in a Medicare Advantage plan, they can make one change: switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan, or drop it and go back to Original Medicare, with the option to add a Part D drug plan. The change starts the first day of the month after the plan gets the request. It's separate from fall Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7. - [What happens after the December 7 Medicare Open Enrollment deadline?](https://seniorcare.si/guides/medicare-open-enrollment-deadline-december-7): Medicare's fall Open Enrollment ends Monday, December 7, 2026. The plan must receive your parent's enrollment request by that day, and the change starts January 1, 2027. If the deadline passes, your parent keeps their current coverage for 2027, but there are still a few ways to change: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (January 1 to March 31, only for people already in Medicare Advantage), the 5-star Special Enrollment Period, and Special Enrollment Periods for events like a move. ## Cities Local listings pages for the 150 largest cities: https://seniorcare.si/cities (pattern https://seniorcare.si/cities/-, e.g. https://seniorcare.si/cities/houston-tx). ## Optional - [All guides](https://seniorcare.si/guides) - [Sitemap](https://seniorcare.si/sitemap.xml)