The Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) provides A LOT of free aging and end of life information for consumers. I recently wrote to the FCIC and received about 10 free brochures on those topics. This week we will review the brochure, Caring for an Aging Loved One. You can order this brochure for free at www.pueblo.gsa.gov.

I am literally surrounded by people at work who are approaching retirement and are beginning the journey of caring for their aging parent. They talk in the halls and the lunch room updating one another how their Mom is doing, or where they are looking to place her, what kind of medications are needed, and even asking me advice on which funeral home to use when the time comes. It seems overwhelming that these people can work a 40+ hour work week on top of caring for someone else, and making life changing decisions. Not having dealt with this topic on person level yet I am in awe at how much they have to research, balance, and make decisions about.

The 28 page brochure Caring for an Aging Loved One outlines what many caregivers need to know or think about. These topics include; How Will You Know When a Loved One Needs Assistance, Developing a Care Plan, Organizing Documents and Paperwork, When Your Loved One Can No Longer Live at Home, Who pays for Long-Term Care, and many more.

Some of the more useful pages in the brochure include information on aging websites. Here are a few off the beaten path that you may not have heard of before.

• www.benefitscheckup.org. This website was developed by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to help people determine benefit eligibility in their area. This website is easy to navigate; you will be able to determine quickly if their information will be helpful to you.

• www.aahsa.org American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. This site has some fantastic questionnaires and suggestions for people who are facing aging issues.

• www.caregiver.org The Family Caregiver Alliance founded in 1977 is headquartered in California; their website is in English, Spanish, and even Chinese. They have a great archived newsletter, and although many issues are referenced to the State of California, the information provided can be used anywhere.