Resources

RSS Feeds
Government Sites
New York State Resources
Housing & Services
Caregiving
Legal & Financial
End Of Life
Miscellaneous

RSS Feeds

Government Sites

Medicare.gov. An all-purpose site with interactive tools for planning and paying for long-term care and choosing among drug plans. Includes searchable inspection results, good and bad, for the all the nation’s skilled nursing facilities.
NIHSeniorHealth.gov. A collaboration of the National Institutes of Health and the National Library of Medicine that provides authoritative information on all diseases and disorders of old age. Each section is available in both large-type and audio versions.
National Institute on Aging. Describes ongoing research on aging and lists clinical trials seeking participants.
U.S. Administration on Aging. Brief fact sheets on aging and links to outside resources for an assortment of caregiving issues, including financial planning, residential options, in-home services, case management and the law.

New York State Resources

Housing and Services

Leading Age (formerly American Association of Home and Services for the Aging). Consumer information on senior housing from an association of non-profit nursing homes, assisted living centers, continuing care retirement communities, adult day care centers and the like.
Assisted Living Federation of America. Among other resources, offers a database of assisted living facilities searchable by location or parent company.
National Center for Assisted Living. Provides a more elaborate “facility finder” that factors in cost, method of payment, mobility, dietary needs, activities and amenities.
SNAPforSeniors. Offers a searchable housing locator with 60,000 listings, including facilities for assisted living, residential care, nursing care and rehabilitation, continuing care retirement and independent living. (Disclosure: A New Old Age partner.)
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Search for a geriatric care manager by location.
HealthGrades. Comparisons and one-to-five-star ranking of nursing homes, for $9.95 for the first report and $2.95 for each additional one.
National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM). A not-for-profit, professional association dedicated to assisting older adults with the physical and emotional demands of downsizing, relocating, or modifying their homes.
CareScout. Charges $499 to help users select housing options and services for the elderly who can pay their own way and are not reliant on Medicare or Medicaid.
A Place for Mom

Caregiving

Family Caregiver Alliance. Offers tips on a wide range of topics, including how to hire help, hold a family meeting, balance work and caregiving, find important papers, and decide whether parents should move in with an adult child.
AgingCare.com
Caring.com
National Alliance for Caregiving. Reviews of more than 1,000 books, videos, Web sites and links.
National Family Caregivers Association. Provides statistics, research and policy reports, tip sheets, first-person accounts, a newsletter and an exhaustive resource list.
MetLife Mature Market Institute. Reports from a research arm of the insurance company on the price of assisted living, the strains of long-distance caregiving, and the cost to employers of baby boomer employees involved in eldercare.
The Alzheimer’s Association.

Legal and Financial

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Search by location for members of the association. Provides questions to ask lawyers about qualifications and areas of expertise, and a wide-ranging resource list for the elderly.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Free fact sheets and shoppers’ guides for long-term care insurance, annuities and Medigap policies.
Insurance Information Institute.
Reverse.org. A consumer’s guide to reverse mortgages from a non-profit with no ties to the industry. Links to the AARP’s calculator for choosing such policies.
ReverseMortgage.org. Similar calculator and search tool to find local lenders, with links to their Web sites.
Nolo. Do-it-yourself legal advice. Wills, powers of attorney and other documents.
Senior Law Home Page. Advice from a New York law firm on the legal and financial issues facing the elderly. state forms for powers of attorney, health care proxies and living wills.
U.S. Living Will Registry. Free state-by-state forms.
American Bar Association Aging Tool Kit. Offers a 10-step process for making end-of-life decisions with worksheets, suggestions and links.

End of Life

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. An excellent search tool for finding a hospice, as well as guides on issues related to palliative care, including Medicare coverage and techniques for communicating end-of-life wishes.
Caring Connections. Contains of the consumer information from NHPCO and has state-by-state advance directive forms.
Compassion and Choices.
Hospice Foundation of America. Information on end-of-life issues, such as pain management. One section called “Caregivers Corner” has links, reading lists and a self-assessment tool for caregivers to analyze their own strengths and weaknesses.

Miscellaneous

Elder Care. An eccentric site that includes the history of long-term care policy in America, census maps that show the concentration of people 60 and over, book reviews, updates on state laws affecting the elderly, and a dictionary of eldercare jargon.
Eldercare Online. This site has a home-made look and is difficult to navigate, but includes a wealth of original and imported information.
Caring.com. An all-in-one site with advice on caregiving, long-term care, talking with elders and insurance issues.
National Care Planning Council. A work in progress from a couple who “didn’t have a life for five years” while caring for four elderly parents. Now a membership organization advocating for long-term care.
Third Age. Articles, expert interviews, quizzes and discussion boards for caregivers.
Elder Issues. Some interesting articles on caregiving. Primarily the site for a company marketing online medical records for elderly persons.
Aging Parents and Eldercare. A commercial site with free access to same checklists, worksheets and on-line assessment tools found elsewhere. For sale are products like wheelchairs and incontinence supplies.
KaiserEdu. An educational site from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Includes a variety of slide tutorials and podcasts on financial and policy issues related to long-term care.

"Considering the situation, Diane helped us get the best outcome possible (mom at home as long as possible, getting dad help with aides, and then placement in a nursing home when necessitated by mom's condition). I highly recommend Diane and Umbrella Care to anyone looking for help with caring for elders in their life."

Laura S.

"We would be lost in this phase of our lives without the assistance from Diane and Umbrella Care. She is truly an advocate as well as a professional, and even if we did live locally we could never do what she does for our parents. We know she has their best interests at heart, and she never stops trying to find better ways to advance them. We are grateful."

Anonymous

"The person I spent the most time with was Maria, our care manager. Words cannot express the appreciation for her help, guidance, advice and counsel along the way. Maria was always available and always quickly responded to our questions and concerns. My family cannot thank Maria enough. Therefore, it is without hesitation that I would recommend Umbrella Care!"

Mike I

"My family would be at a complete loss of what to do without the expert care and guidance from Umbrella Care Management. Fortunately, a longtime friend referred Maria and Umbrella to my family, and we couldn’t be more grateful. My mother’s adult children live scattered across the country, in various states and time zones. With mom developing increasing dementia with a strong desire to remain in her home, we were at a loss as to how to support her in this goal. Maria, Laura and the Umbrella team have been instrumental in helping support our mom remain safely in her home."

Team Mom

"I live 4 hours from my father and when his care needs became more than I could handle from that distance, I contacted Umbrella Care. Monique became my father's advocate and care manager providing the in-person oversight that I couldn't and asking questions about his care that I didn't even know to ask. It was a relief knowing that he had Monique nearby to look out for him. She was professional, smart, kind and caring of not just him, but also of me!"

MJ

"I have been using Umbrella Care Management for two to three months now. It is excellent. They keep up with the completion of important items. The staff members are excellent. Umbrella Care Management is an excellent choice."

Walter

"[Umbrella Care Management] really handled the entire process. It was a breeze; I'm so thankful for them."

Vita

"...Umbrella Care seemed to have the most variety of different things because not only did I need my uncle to find a place to live but I also needed the Medicaid's help."

Deborah

"I cannot imagine having been able to get to this point...had we not had Umbrella Care's help."

Mike

“If (my friend) had had the unlimited assistance of family and friends all this time, the results could not have been any better. I am profoundly grateful to Umbrella for what they have accomplished.”

Andrew Kull

“(Umbrella) was able to find a resource for my mother who was at a distance in a way that I would never have been able to find it. Because of Umbrella, I was able to get peace of mind.”

Michelle

“Getting Medicaid for my mother was a very confusing process for us. The answers that (Umbrella) provided really helped me and directed me to the right path.”

Cathy

”Umbrella they took my problems away... and really came through for us. It’s been just marvelous. Their service was fantastic and way above average. I am so glad I found them.”

JoanHudson Valley

“My father was declined from our preferred nursing home because he has Alzheimer’s and he has some physical aggression. Barbara dug into the matter and changed that, which allowed my father to spend his final days in a nursing home much closer to us than had we not enlisted Umbrella’s help.”

Terri

“An Umbrella team member resolved my problems for me in a professional expedited manner; Umbrella exceeded all of my expectations!”

Bruce

It has been a very good experience with (Umbrella). It’s wonderful to have their help.

Caring3295

“5 Stars is not enough! If I could give Umbrella 10 Stars I would! Barbara has angel wings and has opened so many doors for me and my brother. EVERYONE in their lifetime should meet someone like Barbara.”

Lusi

“Umbrella got me through the Medicaid process in very short order, and even coordinated with the local nursing homes to find my father the most appropriate facility without unnecessary delay. It just made my life so much easier. I have nothing but good things to say about Umbrella Care Management; they’re all absolutely fantastic.”

Doug

”We just needed someone to help us navigate everything that was going, and to act as an advocate for mom since none of us could be there. My mother liked Barbara right away, and she was very helpful to all of us.”

Larry

“Umbrella has been fabulous. They are an absolute godsend.”

Marci

“She’s just really the perfect mix of someone who can get things done and someone who brings her heart with her. Barbara saved my life.”

Caring1698

“Umbrella's team is very knowledgeable and respectful of my mother’s wishes. We are having a very good experience with Umbrella Care Management.”

Bridget

”My experience with Umbrella was the best ever! They were wonderful.”

Theresa

”Umbrella is there to help me navigate through the processes, the paperwork, the placement, the medical issues, and my own anxiety. I don’t know what I would do without their help.”

Elyse

”Umbrella Care Management... is very professional and responsive. They always go above and beyond.”

Arlene

“... an Umbrella care manager helped us get everything wrapped up in just two weeks. She made the whole process go smoothly, and her follow-through was excellent. It was just really a good experience.”

Lana

“I highly recommend Umbrella for any help you may need with dealing with an aging parent or elderly person. I am so grateful and feel blessed that Umbrella happened into my mother and I’s life!”

DCare

“Not only has (Umbrella Care Management) steered my aunt (who lives in New York City) through the healthcare system and subsequent therapy so that she is now back in her own apartment, but the caregivers have also become very kind and trusted confidants to her.”

Robin Cooke-Hurle

“Umbrella Care Management definitely goes over and above what it has to do to help. The team is wonderful in helping people with their elderly care.”

Bob

”The care managers are excellent with hands-on materials and answered all my questions every step of the way. I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

Theresa2

“(when) my mom and dad became very ill... I had nowhere to turn and had no idea where to even start. Umbrella Care Management has helped us every step of the way.”

Guy

view all testimonials