Additional Resources

• Florida's Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOC) offers a web site, www.state.fl.us/ombudsman, and a toll-free number, 1-888-831-0404. This Department of Elder Affairs-sponsored citizen's group strives to improve conditions for residents of long term care residential facilities. Rights. Lists of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, and Discharged Nursing Home Residents Rights are available. Complaints against facilities may be filed online or by calling the toll-free number.

• If a complaint against a nursing home or assisted living facility involves abuse or neglect of a resident, any person can report this by calling the Florida Abuse Hotline on the toll-free number, 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873). The TDD (Telephone device for the Deaf) Abuse Hotline number is 1-800-955-8770. The Abuse Hotline is available 24 hours a day seven days a week for confidential reporting of abuse and neglect of any type. For more about abuse, see Stop Elder Abuse and Stage Three, section 2.

• Find a "Glossary of Long-Term Care Terms" on the Long-Term Care Living web site, www.longtermcareliving.com. Financial options and how to have a family conversation about long-term care are discussed on this web site, also. Sponsors are The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living.

• The Introduction to the Caregiver Handbook includes a "Glossary of Terms" and "Glossary of Acronyms", and these are also available online at www.agingcarefl.org/services.

• The Family Guide to Long-term Care is a series of six videos available from Lifeview Resources. Call toll-free 1-800-395-5433 or visit the website, www.lifeviewresources.com. Two of these are called Making the Right Choice and Staying Involved. View video clips online before purchasing. If you are a caregiver, you can buy these and other caregiving videos at a discount by using your free membership number from the Caregivers Marketplace web site, www.caregiversmarketplace.com.

• How to Care for Aging Parents, by Virginia Morris, is a comprehensive guide to caregiving. This book has chapters called "Home Away From Home," "A Good Nursing Home," and "Paying The Way"?. For reviews of other caregiving books that may be helpful, see the Caregiver Books and Videos section.

• Also check the public libraries, as some locations are adding new caregiver books and videos to their collections. To search the catalogs and reserve books online in Pinellas County, Florida, visit the Pinellas County Public Library Cooperative web site, www.pplc.us. The Pasco Library Cooperative can be found at http://pascolibraries.org.

• Residential Care: A Guide for Choosing a New Home is a National Alzheimer's Association publication to help families make choices about residential care for persons with Alzheimer's. For a free copy, call the national toll-free number, 1-800-272-3900, or select "Resource Center" followed by "Fact Sheets" on the Alzheimer's Association web site, www.alz.org.

• American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) is a national organization made up of not-for-profit nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities, senior housing, assisted living facilities, etc. committed to affordable, healthy, and ethical long term care. Visit their web site, www.aahsa.org, for information about types of facilities ranging from government-funded senior housing to nursing homes, contact information for state affiliates, and a directory of members.

To access the services or programs described in this Handbook, call the Senior Helpline at 727-217-8111 in Pinellas or 1-800-861-8111 in other areas of Florida.

Next: Stage Four: Letting Go