EXPLORING RESOURCES

Once you have gathered accurate information about your relative's health history andpresent status, you will need to explore the resources, programs and services in thecommunity that can meet your relative's needs. There truly is no end to the number ofservices that may be required by your relative. A partial list may include:



Care management

Health and dental care emergency response

Financial assistance

Housing

Homehealth

Rehabilitation

Transportation

Socialization

Recreation

Nutrition

Home visiting

Telephone reassurance

Counseling

Spirituality

Housekeeping

Home maintenance.



To save time and energy, you may want to arrange appointments before your trip to yourloved one's home state, and try to involve the care recipient by encouraging him or her toaccompany you. It always is important to call more than one provider of a particularprogram or service, so that you can compare the services offered and the costs. In manyareas, competition among service providers is great and rates may vary widely.