Organizations that actually answer the phone.
A curated directory for US family caregivers — whether you're caring for an aging parent, a spouse, an adult child with complex needs, or a sibling. Phone numbers that connect to real people, plain-language guides for the moments when nothing feels clear. Filter by what your family is navigating.
Family Caregiver Alliance
Information, education, and support for family caregivers. CareNav (free) is their digital orientation tool.
📞 (800) 445-8106National orgsAARP Family Caregiving
Free guides, state-by-state checklists, the Prepare to Care planning workbook.
Visit site →National orgsEldercare Locator
Federal directory connecting older adults and their caregivers to local services.
📞 (800) 677-1116National orgsNational Alliance for Caregiving
Coalition + research org. Their "Caregiving in the U.S." reports are the authoritative numbers.
Visit site →911
Medical emergency.
988
US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text.
📞 988Adult Protective Services (state-specific)
Report suspected elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Visit site →Poison Control
Medication interactions, overdoses, accidental ingestion.
📞 (800) 222-1222The Conversation Project
Free Conversation Starter Guide. Plain-language. Family-tested. The single best place to start.
Visit site →Advance directivesFive Wishes
Plain-language advance directive that's legally valid in most US states. The most-used consumer-facing form in the country.
Visit site →Advance directivesPOLST
Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment — bright pink/green forms that hospitals actually look for at the bedside. Different from a standard advance directive: signed by a clinician, immediately actionable.
Visit site →Advance directivesDeath Over Dinner
Free guided conversation kits to use the dinner-table dynamic to surface end-of-life preferences. Lighter touch than a clinical conversation; works when "let's sit down and talk about your advance directive" doesn't.
Visit site →Advance directivesCompassion & Choices — End-of-life Planning
Free state-specific advance directive forms, dementia provisions (specific instructions for dementia care that standard forms miss), and the Finish Strong toolkit for late-stage planning.
Visit site →HospiceNational Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Find a hospice provider by ZIP. Family-facing guides on what hospice covers, what to expect in the last weeks, how to evaluate an agency.
📞 (800) 658-8898HospiceCaringInfo
NHPCO's family-facing site. Advance directives by state (the cleanest free state-specific forms), hospice 101, after-loss grief support.
Visit site →HospiceMedicare Hospice Benefit — coverage details
The official Medicare page. Covers 100% of hospice for a six-month prognosis: nurse visits, social worker, chaplain, hospice-related medications, equipment, up to 5 days respite. No family copays.
Visit site →HospiceWe Honor Veterans
NHPCO program for hospice agencies serving veterans. Find a veteran-friendly hospice and connect to VA benefits at end of life — including the often-overlooked hospice benefit for wartime veterans.
Visit site →HospiceHospice Foundation of America
End-of-life education for families. Free downloadable guides, grief support resources, a tip sheet on the most-common preventable mistakes in the last weeks.
Visit site →DementiaAlzheimer's Association
24/7 helpline staffed by real people. Caregiver classes. Local chapter referrals. The most useful first call you can make.
📞 (800) 272-3900DementiaAlzheimer's Foundation of America
Distinct from Alz Association. Toll-free helpline, social-worker consultations, free memory screenings via partner sites.
📞 (866) 232-8484DementiaDementia Society of America
All-dementia (not just Alzheimer's) education and family resources. Covers vascular dementia, mixed dementias, and conditions Alz orgs underweight.
Visit site →DementiaLewy Body Dementia Association
Lewy body is the second-most-common neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer's and the most often misdiagnosed. LBDA has condition-specific guides, a clinician finder, and a 24/7 helpline.
📞 (800) 539-9767DementiaAssociation for Frontotemporal Degeneration
For FTD specifically — typically younger-onset (40s–60s), language- and behavior-first presentation. Different caregiver trajectory than Alzheimer's; AFTD's caregiver resources are the best in the category.
📞 (866) 507-7222DementiaMemory Cafe Directory
Find a local memory café — informal social gatherings for people with dementia and their caregivers. Run by libraries, churches, community centers; usually free.
Visit site →Falls & safetyCDC STEADI
Federal fall-prevention program. Self-check, home-safety checklist, evidence-based exercises. The starting point.
Visit site →Falls & safetyNational Council on Aging — Falls Free
Community-based fall prevention programs near you. Searchable directory of A Matter of Balance, Tai Chi for Arthritis, and Stepping On classes.
Visit site →Falls & safetyAARP HomeFit Guide
Free 50-page illustrated guide to age-in-place home modifications. Room-by-room: bathroom grab bars, kitchen reach, stair safety, lighting. Available as a free download.
Visit site →Falls & safetyNIA — Falls and fractures in older adults
National Institute on Aging plain-language overview: why falls happen, the medications and conditions that raise risk, when to ask the PCP about a fall-risk medication review.
Visit site →Falls & safetyBone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation
Most falls that result in a fracture involve underlying osteoporosis. BHOF has free risk-assessment tools, DEXA-scan explainers, and bisphosphonate medication overviews.
Visit site →Financial helpBenefitsCheckUp
NCOA tool that screens for 2,500+ benefit programs by ZIP code. Free, ~15 minutes. Most low-income older adults qualify for 10+ programs and claim only 1–2.
Visit site →Financial helpMedicare.gov
Plan comparison, coverage rules, the "Find & compare" tools for plans, hospitals, doctors, and skilled-nursing facilities. Open Enrollment is Oct 15–Dec 7.
📞 (800) 633-4227Financial helpSHIP — State Health Insurance Assistance Program
Free, neutral, one-on-one Medicare counseling in every state. Not brokers, no commissions. Best resource for the Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare decision.
Visit site →Financial helpMedicare Savings Programs (MSP)
The single most-overlooked benefit. State pays the Medicare Part B premium (~$175/mo) for low-income enrollees. QMB / SLMB / QI variants by state. Saves $1,800–$2,000/year. Apply through SHIP.
Visit site →Financial helpVA Aid & Attendance (for wartime veterans)
Monthly benefit ($1,500–$2,800+) that can pay for in-home care, assisted living, or nursing care. Wartime includes WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War — non-combat service counts. Drastically underclaimed (≈1/3 of eligible apply).
Visit site →Financial helpABLE National Resource Center
For adult children with disabilities (onset before 26). Side-by-side comparison of every state's ABLE plan. Lets the disabled adult save up to ~$100k without losing SSI/Medicaid.
Visit site →Caregiver wellnessFamily Caregiver Alliance — Caregiver Health Self-Assessment
A validated 15-minute self-assessment that turns "I'm fine" into a concrete number. Free. Take it, take it again in 3 months. If it surprises you, treat it as a signal.
Visit site →Caregiver wellnessWell Spouse Association
National peer support specifically for spouses of the chronically ill or disabled. Local chapters, online community, an annual conference. The spouse-caregiver cohort that general caregiver orgs underserve.
Visit site →Caregiver wellnessARCH National Respite Network
Respite-care funding directory by state. Caregivers who plan respite from the start last dramatically longer than those who try to add it after burnout sets in.
Visit site →Caregiver wellnessSAMHSA National Helpline
For caregivers using alcohol, recreational drugs, or prescription medications to cope. Free, confidential, 24/7, in English and Spanish. Caregiver substance-use risk is well-documented and treatable.
📞 (800) 662-4357Caregiver wellnessCaregiver Action Network — peer-support forum
Smaller, warmer peer-support community than AARP's. Threads by condition, by life stage, by relationship type. Good for caregivers who want to read what others wrote at 11 PM.
Visit site →PACE & day servicesNational PACE Association — Find a program
PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) combines Medicare + Medicaid + primary care + day services + transportation + medications under one roof. For nursing-home-eligible adults 55+ who want to stay home. Available in 30+ states.
Visit site →PACE & day servicesNADSA — Adult Day Services finder
National Adult Day Services Association directory. Daytime structured care — social activities, meals, basic health monitoring, therapy — while the family caregiver works or rests.
Visit site →PACE & day servicesIHSS (California-specific)
In-Home Supportive Services. For California Medi-Cal beneficiaries, a family member (adult child, sibling, spouse) can be paid by Medi-Cal to do the in-home caregiving they're already doing for free. Significantly underclaimed.
Visit site →PACE & day servicesCash & Counseling / Consumer-Directed programs (state-specific)
Most states have some form of Medicaid program that lets the beneficiary direct their own care budget — including paying a family member. Names vary: CDPAP (NY), CDC+ (FL), Consumer Choices (IA), CDS (TX). Ask the state Medicaid office.
Visit site →DrivingThe Hartford — "We Need To Talk"
The single best guide to the older-driver conversation. Scripts, timing, evidence, handling resistance.
Visit site →DrivingAAA Senior Driving
Self-rated driving assessment, Roadwise Review cognitive screening, family conversation worksheets.
Visit site →DrivingNIA — Older drivers
National Institute on Aging guide: medical conditions affecting driving, when to consider stopping, transportation alternatives.
Visit site →Spouse caregiversAmerican Stroke Association — caregiver support
Stroke Family Warmline, support groups (in-person + online), "Care for the Caregiver" practical guide.
📞 (888) 478-7653Spouse caregiversAmerican Cancer Society — caregiver hub
Cancer Helpline 24/7 in 200+ languages, "Caregiver Resource Guide," Hope Lodge free housing for treatment travel.
📞 (800) 227-2345Spouse caregiversCancerCare
Free professional counseling by oncology social workers. Spouse/partner-specific support groups by diagnosis. Insurance + benefits case management. Small co-pay grants.
📞 (800) 813-4673Spouse caregiversTriage Cancer
Specialized in the legal/financial side: FMLA, STD, employment protections, ACA appeals, COBRA timing. Free quick-guides.
Visit site →Adult kids w/ disabilitiesThe Arc — chapter finder
Oldest national advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Local chapters run advocacy, family support, benefits counseling, guardianship education.
Visit site →Adult kids w/ disabilitiesSpecial Needs Alliance — find an attorney
National network of attorneys specializing in disability law. Special-needs trusts, guardianship, conservatorship, supported decision-making.
Visit site →Adult kids w/ disabilitiesNASDDDS — state DD agency directory
Every state has a DD agency (DDA/DDS/DDD/OPWDD). This directory has all 50 + DC.
Visit site →Adult kids w/ disabilitiesSSA — Apply for SSI
Most adults with developmental disabilities qualify at 18 (income-based on the adult, not the family). SSI usually triggers automatic Medicaid eligibility.
📞 (800) 772-1213Adult kids w/ disabilitiesPACER Center
Free parent training and information on IEPs, IDEA transition planning, and disability advocacy.
Visit site →Sibling caregiversSibling Leadership Network
National community of siblings of people with disabilities. Local chapters, online groups, an annual conference, resources on succession + the after-the-parent-caregiver transition.
Visit site →Sibling caregiversThe Arc — sibling resources
Future Planning section + sibling-specific guides for inheriting primary caregiving.
Visit site →Sibling caregiversLong-Term Care Ombudsman (state finder)
Every state has one — advocates for residents of AL/SNF/group homes. The right escalation when a facility mishandles care.
Visit site →Are you an organization that serves caregivers?
If you run a national or regional service for family caregivers — a helpline, a support program, a peer community, a respite resource, a legal-aid clinic — we'd be glad to consider you for inclusion.
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