Shelter

CCRCdata (www.CCRCdata.org) – Publishes the Complete Directory of Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Its 2006 edition listed more than 900 CCRC’s. Electronic copies of the document available online for $10.

ConsumerReports (www.ConsumerReports.org) – CR’s most recent investigations of assisted living facilities and nursing homes were published in July 2005 and August 2006. According to their reports, choosing a good, safe, and affordable facility can be extremely difficult and has become problematic for seniors and their families. For more on CR’s assisted-living investigation, go to their Web site and type assisted living facilities in the search box. For more on nursing homes, type in nursing home quality monitor. In both stories, take note of the state inspection survey (Form 2567), to see what it can tell you about the quality of a facility.

HealthGrades (www.HealthGrades.com) — Fee-based reports on nursing home quality. The findings are based on the same inspection data as the Medicare site, but HealthGrades’ information goes back further and comes in easy-to-understand summaries.

Medicare (www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/home.asp) — The most complete national resource on nursing home quality. In April, 2008, the federal agency that oversees Medicare announced plans to identify some of the most troubled nursing homes in an online database. Plans call for adding the identities of so-called Special Focus Facilities, the nursing homes that rank in the worst 5 to 10 percent for inspection results in a given state. The list will include some 130 facilities out of approximately 16,000 nursing homes in the US.

Member Of The Family (www.MemberoftheFamily.net) — Offers color-coded ratings of nursing homes based on the latest federal nursing home data.

National Association for Home Care and Hospice (www.nahc.org) – The NAHC is the nation’s largest trade association representing the interests and concerns of home care agencies, hospices, home care aide organizations, and medical equipment suppliers. Click on “Agency Locator” for a list of home care and hospice agencies in your area.

SNAPforSeniors (www.SNAPforSeniors.com) – A free online resource providing information and tools necessary to make informed decisions about senior housing. Founded in 2005, the site provides the most current database of all licensed senior housing in the U.S., as well as a growing number of independent living communities. The database lists some 65,000 licensed facilities and independent living communities. Users can search by city, state, or specific criteria such as budget and special needs.