Care services and family planning
Caregiver Resources: Finding the Right Authority and Service
By KindredMind Editorial Team
Reliable caregiver resources start with the need and the location of the person receiving care. A national organization can explain options or direct you locally; it usually cannot confirm that a funded place, worker or benefit is available for your situation.
This guide explains where to look and what to ask. For deciding which kind of help would solve a caregiving problem, use the caregiver-support map. For organizing your own family's tasks, use caring for aging parents.
Find the local starting point before collecting referrals
In the United States, the federal Eldercare Locator connects older adults and families with community services. Ask for the Area Agency on Aging or other appropriate aging-and-disability service for the care recipient's location. The local organization can explain its own assessment and referral process; a national search result is not an eligibility decision. [1]
In Canada, Health Canada explains provincial and territorial responsibility for home and community care. Find the health authority or public home-care intake service for the relevant province or territory. 211 Canada can direct you to local community and non-clinical social services; it is not the authority approving clinical care or public coverage. [2][3]
Tell the navigator the task, location, timing, language and accessibility requirements. Ask whether a service accepts self-referrals, requires an assessment, charges fees or has a waitlist. If an option is unavailable, ask what the alternative is and who follows up.
Choose the resource branch that matches the task
Swipe within the table to reach every column. Keyboard users can focus the table area and use the arrow keys.
| Need | Who may help | What to ask and what to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Dementia education and peer support | Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer Society, local clinical or community programs | Is the information appropriate to the diagnosis? Who facilitates a group, and is it for the person, family caregivers or both? Education and peer support are not individual treatment. |
| Respite and adult day services | Local aging agency, public care-intake service or program operator | What care is provided, for which hours? Ask about transport, assessment and replacement responsibility; a referral does not supply coverage. |
| Home assistance or nursing | Local home-care intake service, qualified agency or treating team | Which tasks and qualifications are required? Confirm clinical versus personal help and actual availability. |
| Training for a care task | Care team, qualified service or caregiver-training program | Can someone demonstrate the task and check understanding? Online education does not authorize clinical work. |
| Meals and transportation | Aging network or local community-service provider | Is it meal delivery, meal preparation or supported eating? Does transport include an escort or only a ride? Confirm location, timing, access and fees. |
| Care navigation | Aging service, social worker or independent care professional | Does the service advise, apply, arrange or manage? Ask about fees and referral relationships; navigation is not a guarantee of funding. |
The U.S. National Family Caregiver Support Program supports information, access assistance, counseling, groups, training and respite through state and local systems. It is a route to ask about services, not a promise that every applicant receives every service. [4]
For dementia-specific information, start with the Alzheimer's Association's memory-concern guidance and the national/local organizations linked in the support hub. The focused adult day, respite and home-care guides explain provider questions.
Use the authority that decides the money or legal question
For U.S. family-caregiver payment possibilities, USA.gov identifies the relevant program categories and official contacts. The applicable state Medicaid office, insurer or veterans program must confirm the actual arrangement. In Canada, distinguish Service Canada income-replacement benefits, CRA tax credits and provincial or territorial care programs. The family-caregiver payment guide keeps these separate.
For workplace support, ask HR about available arrangements and the labor authority about rights that apply to that employment. U.S. FMLA guidance concerns eligible employees and covered employers; it is not a universal paid-leave entitlement. Canadian EI caregiving benefits are not the same thing as employment-law leave protection. [5]
For legal help, ask the local aging agency or community-service navigator about legal-aid or older-adult legal services. Verify the professional's authority to advise in the relevant jurisdiction. A website form or family relationship does not establish authority over another adult's money or care.
U.S. veterans and families can ask the VA caregiver program about its assessment and support. Canadian veterans use Canadian services; Health Canada's overview links to federal support for eligible populations. Do not transfer eligibility rules across countries or programs.
Do not use routine navigation for an emergency
For immediate danger, contact local emergency services. Sudden confusion needs immediate medical help, not a place on a routine referral list. [6]
For suicide or emotional crisis support in the United States, call or text 988. For suicide crisis support in Canada, call or text 9-8-8. These services are different from a care-navigation appointment or ongoing replacement care.
Keep a short referral record
Record the organization, the person's name or role, the date, the exact service requested and the next action. Ask who will contact whom and by when. Verify sensitive-information requests through the organization's official contact route before sending documents.
Keep the list short enough to use. A confirmed service with clear limits is more useful than a long directory of organizations that cannot accept the request.
Sources and scope
Sources checked November 9, 2026. The linked organizations explain their own services. This guide is not a directory of available places, an eligibility decision or personal legal, financial or clinical advice.