Advocacy
“Instant Democracy” by Mass. Home Care
A user-friendly site to communicate with Massachusetts legislators
and be in touch with issues.
ADAPT
National advocacy group for people with disabilities
American
Association of Retired Persons
Contains information about caregiving, Alzheimer's Disease, Medicare,
and Nursing Homes. Provides the consumer with information about
different aging benefits, aging services, and options for care.
Commonwealth
of Massachusetts Legislative Directory
Offering a fast and easy way for Massachusetts residents to identify
their elected officials.
Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging Project
Advocates for changes in laws and policies. Provides training
and assistance to service providers throughout the state.
Massachusetts
Senior Action Council (MSAC)
Statewide, democratically-run membership organization open to
people of all ages.
National Association
of Area Agencies on Aging
Information on national legislation impacting Older Americans.
Caregivers
Children
of Aging Parents
Features an active online support group and helpful links.
Alzheimer's Association
of Massachusetts
Contains specific information about Alzheimer's Disease including
information about the disease, caregiving, resources, diagnosis,
research, advocacy, and medications.
ElderWeb
A research site for professionals and family members looking for
information on eldercare. Includes links to information on legal,
financial, medical, and housing issues, as well as policy, research,
and statistics.
Family Caregiver
Alliance
Offers programs at national, state and local levels to support
and sustain caregivers.
The
U.S. Administration on Aging Caregiver Resource Page
Links to caregiver sites including government, non-profit and
commercial sites. Includes information and articles, such as Family
& Medical Leave and other helpful issues.
The
U.S. Administration on Aging, Elders and Family Section
Information about aging services across the U.S., with links to
local and state resources.
Statewide
Eldercare Information
Massachusetts ' largest online resource of Elder Services, Programs,
and Information.
The Eldercare
Locator
A nationwide toll-free service and web site, which helps older
adults and their caregivers find local services for seniors.
Disability
Information
Able
Data
Database on assistive technology. Sponsored by the National Institute
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the U.S. Department
of Education. Information on 19,000 available products.
Greater Boston Aid
to the Blind
GBAB is the only agency is Massachusetts devoted exclusively to
the personal support and rehabilitation of adults age 50 and over
who are visually impaired, helping clients remain independent.
Mass Commission
for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Serves as the principal agency representing the Commonwealth's
560,000 Deaf, late deafened, and hard of hearing people within
state government.
Paralyzed Veterans
of America
Devoted to illnesses, which leave people wheelchair bound, particularly
spinal chord injuries and M.S. Resources include assistance with
VA claims.
The Association
of and for Retarded Citizens and Their Families
Contains informational materials on mental retardation, aging
issues, family supports. Links to local ARC chapters which have
information on independent living skills training, job search,
health care and supports for family members.
General
Information
800AGEINFO
Resources for elders, a partnership of Mass. Home Care and the
state Dept. of Elder Affairs.
AARP
Family, Home and Legal Advice.
Elder
Law
Massachusetts Chapter, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
American
Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging
Government
Assistance
Massachusetts state
government home page
National
Council on Aging Benefits Check-up
A screening tool for state and federal benefits. A free service
sponsored by the National Councils on Aging. Data entering a person's
information will give you an overview of benefits they may be
eligible for.
Food
Stamps
Provides information and applications (in English and Spanish)
to help people who meet the rules for food stamps receive them.
Social Security Administration
Explains retirement and disability benefit information. Downloadable
documents available.
Community
Resources Information Inc.
Provides detailed information about the many types of assistance
available to those in need living in Massachusetts. It provides
practical information on available benefits, eligibility requirements,
how to apply, benefit amounts, and answers to commonly asked questions.
Grief
& Bereavement
Grief Recovery
An action program for moving beyond loss.
Funeral
Consumers Alliance
Funeral industry watchdog group that includes consumer warnings
about specific organizations, things to watch for, and tools and
information for planning.
National
Funeral Directors Association
Industry trade group website includes consumer section providing
tips and a listing of member providers.
Journey
of Hearts
An online support place by grief specialist Kirsti Dyer, M.D.,
physician, professor, professional health educator and a grief
and bereavement expert.
National
Grief Support Services, Inc.
A non-profit clearinghouse with referrals to a broad spectrum
of grief-related services, articles and publications. The site’s
own multimedia online services are free, however remain under
construction.
Health
Care
Masspro
is dedicated to advancing healthcare quality. Founded by the Massachusetts
Medical Society, which publishes the New England Journal of Medicine
–
Medicare
Provides comprehensive information about Medicare and ways to
find or compare insurance plans, nursing homes, dialysis facilities,
and physicians, plus information on Prescription Drug Assistance
Programs.
Medicare
Rights Center
The largest independent source of Medicare information and assistance
in the United States . Helps older adults and people with disabilities
get high-quality, affordable health care.
Massachusetts
Division of Insurance's Consumer Service
Contains Massachusetts Health Information, including Medigap and
Medicare RX plans.
MassHealth
In Massachusetts , Medicaid (Title XIX) and the Children's Health
Insurance Program (CHIP) (Title XXI) are combined into one program
called MassHealth. MassHealth pays for health care for certain
low- and medium-income people living in Massachusetts.
MassMedLine
Provides Massachusetts residents with information, on various
insurance programs, programs sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry,
private organizations providing discounts on medications, clinical
information from licensed pharmacists, and outreach programs.
Health
Issues
National Institute on
Aging, federal government
Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research
An agency of U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The
Massachusetts Commission on End of Life Care
This organization provides an on-line guide to end of life resources.
Healthfinder
Health library on diseases and conditions, prevention, wellness,
health news, doctors, dentists, hospitals, long term care, public
clinics, health insurance, prescriptions, Medicare and Medicaid.
Information is also available in Spanish.
MassPRO
Provides information about the flu and a list of public flu clinics
by town.
The National Institutes
of Health
Contains downloadable publications and fact sheets, the latest
news on research findings, journal articles, national opportunities
for participation in clinical research trials, and funding opportunities.
WebMD
Contains information on diseases and conditions. Visitors can
keep an ongoing health record. Perform online searches for doctors,
clinics, insurance, medical tests, health and wellness programs
and nutrition. Contains 80 message boards and 20 chat rooms.
Hospitals
Harrington Memorial Hospital, Southbridge
Hubbard
Regional Hospital, Webster
Mary
Lane Hospital, Ware
Milford
Regional Medical Center, Milford
Wing
Memorial Hospital, Palmer
Legal/Financial
Services
Legal
Services for Older Adults and Elder Law
This links directly to the Administration on Aging Elder Law information
page.
The American Bar
Association
A resource for professionals and consumers.
The National Academy
of Elder Law Attorneys
A non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations
and others who work with older clients and their families. Information,
education, networking and assistance for those who must deal with
the specialized issues involved with legal services to the elderly
and disabled.
The National Association
of Personal Financial Advisors
The largest professional association of comprehensive, fee-only
financial planners in the United States. helps locate advisors
across the country.
Long
Term Care
Massachusetts
Extended Care Federation
Information on long-term care services and facilities.
Massachusetts
Assisted Living Facilities Association
A non-profit association supporting the establishment and operation
of quality assisted living residences in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts
Dept. of Public Health Nursing Home Survey
This site contains the Division of Health Care Quality's nursing
home survey information, to allow consumers to help evaluate quality
of care provided by the state's Medicare and Medicaid certified
nursing homes.
National Citizens'
Coalition for Nursing Home Reform
Includes information on Ombudsman programs, Government and Policy,
family involvement and citizen's groups. Also features printer
friendly fact sheets on topics ranging from resident's rights
to assessment and care planning to long term care insurance information.
U.S.
nursing home information and registry
Free nursing home
resource center
Town
Websites
Bellingham
Blackstone
Brookfield
Charlton
Douglas
Dudley
East
Brookfield
Franklin
Hopedale
Medway
Mendon
Milford
Millville
North
Brookfield
Northbridge
Oxford
Southbridge
Spencer
Sturbridge
Sutton
Upton
Uxbridge
Webster
West
Brookfield
