Friday, September 24, 2010

Finding Resources

While it would be nice to be prepared for any event in life, sometimes it's just not possible to be that well organized and prepared. Part of the problem when dealing with aging parents or spouses or other relatives is that we really don't want to face the fact that they are aging and having challenges and struggles. It would be great to keep everyone young and active. But the fact is, age creeps up on all of us and lifestyles take a hit.

So when you need to find some resources to help meet the needs of your aging loved ones, one of the best places to start is with your friends who are experiencing the same process. Then the Internet can offer lots of information.

A good place to begin your online search would be with the Area on Aging Agency in your state or county. I usually use Google as my search engine of choice so this example is what I got using Google. You can enter the search term "Area on Aging Agency San Francisco" for example and you'll receive information on the agency in San Fransisco along with an number of similar sources. Plug in the name of your local area and see what you get.  Then search their site for the kinds of resources you need.

Another good search term is "caregiver resources _______" Fill in the blank with your city or county and see what comes up.  Search their sites and contact the sources to find help with additional resources in your location.

Start a file folder and keep copies of the information or write down the web addresses of the places you've found helpful.