The best place to begin a search for homecare is your local area agency on aging, which can direct you to services in your parent's neighborhood, send booklets and brochures on specific topics and, in some cases, let you talk to a care manager who will discuss the needs of your parent and refer her to appropriate help.
Some agencies also offer legal, financial and family counseling free or at little cost.
Local senior centers. The area agency on aging can direct you to a local senior center, which should be able to provide additional information about community services. Some centers provide services directly, such as volunteer visitors and companions, and some sponsor senior advocates, people who counsel elderly residents about what community services they need and how to locate them. Discharge planners and care managers. Most hospitals employ nurses or social workers who arrange housing, home care and community services for patients who are leaving the hospital with disabilities.