Senior-Focused Sites Worth Visiting

by Paul Konrardy

You’ve got all your technology tools in place and you know how to surf online without compromising your safety. But now you’re on a hunt for websites that are senior-focused. We’ve put together a list of sites that offer a wide range of information.

More links can be found here: SeniorLiving.org, LovetoKnow,  FirstLantic Healthcare, and Suddenly Senior.

WHN TIP – Surf Smart: Before you go online, read our How to Protect Your Data Privacy and 8 Tips for Protecting Your Identity Online to make sure you are doing it safely!

General Information

Ancestry.com – Ancestry.com has genealogy resources, historical collections and other searchable information.

National Council on Aging.com – National Council on Aging is a respected national leader and trusted partner to help people aged 60+ meet the challenges of aging. It partners with nonprofit organizations, government, and businesses to provide innovative community programs and services, online help, and advocacy. It also has a searchable Benefits CheckUp page listing over 2,500 benefit programs available nationwide.

National Institute of Senior Centers is committed to supporting and strengthening the nation’s 11,000 senior centers through best practices, professional development, advocacy, research, and national standards and accreditation.

Center for Benefits Access helps organizations enroll seniors and younger adults with disabilities with limited means into the benefits programs for which they are eligible so that they can remain healthy and improve the quality of their lives.

Center for Healthy Aging supports the expansion and sustainability of evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention programs in the community and online through collaboration with national, state, and community partners with a goal to help older adults live longer and healthier lives.

SeniorLiving.org – SeniorLiving provides information on resources to help seniors live with independence and dignity, with honest and unbiased reviews and rankings. Topic areas include housing, finance, health, insurance, safety products, transportation and mobility products. 

SeniorPlanet.org –SeniorPlanet celebrates aging by sharing information and resources that support aging with attitude, and helps people who were born long before the digital revolution to stay engaged and active by bringing a digital-technology focus to a range of topics – among them news, health, sex and dating, art and design, senior style, travel and entertainment.

Government Agencies

FTC Do Not Call Registry – A government website, the free National Do Not Call Registry allows people to choose if they want to receive telemarketing calls on their landline or mobile phone.

Health.gov/myhealthfinder – A government website with information and tools to help you and those you care about stay healthy.

HUD Information for Senior Citizens – A government site, HUD provides assistance on housing and rental options and available government assistance.

Medicare.gov Long-Term Care Options – Part of the Medicare.gov website, the page has information on a range of long-term care options in addition to nursing home care.

Medicare.gov Nursing Home Compare – Part of the Medicare.gov website, Nursing Home Compare has detailed information about every Medicare-certified nursing home in the country. A nursing home is a place for people who can’t be cared for at home and need 24-hour nursing care.

Medicare.gov Pharmaceutical Assistance Program – Part of the Medicare.gov website, the page has information about assistance programs from pharmaceutical companies for the drugs they manufacture.

Social Security – Government site with information regarding available benefits, Medicare and other information. Many of the online services with a free my Social Security Account.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services LongTermCare.gov – A government site with information on long-term care and related costs and coverages.

U.S. Postal Service – On the USPS site, visitors can reserve a post office box, schedule a mail hold and change their mail address as well as look up zip codes.

US Department of Veterans Affairs – A government site that provides a wide range of benefits including, Disability, Education and Training, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment, Home Loan Guaranty, Dependent and Survivor Benefits, Medical Treatment, Life Insurance and Burial Benefits. 

USA.gov Consumer Issues – A government site with information on how to be a safe consumer, what to do when a purchase or service goes wrong, report frauds or scams, file a complaint, protect against identity theft and more.

USA.gov Government Agencies and Elected Officials – A government site with contact information for federal, state, and local government agencies and elected officials. Also, visit the Directory of Representatives for members of Congress and United States Senate for senators.

USA.gov Health – A government site with information about health resources from the government.

USA.gov Housing – A government site with information and services to help with finding and keeping a home, including finding affordable housing and getting help repairing a home.

USA.gov Housing Help – A government site with information and links regarding housing options for the homeless, senior citizens, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and older veterans.

USA.gov Laws and Legal Issues – A government site with information about reporting a crime, locating a federal inmate, researching common U.S. laws, and filing a complaint against the government.

USA.gov Money and Credit — A government site about taxes and status of tax refund, money the government may owe you, investing, credit help, unclaimed money, access to a free, official credit report and more.

USA.gov Travel and Immigration – A government site about visiting, traveling within, and moving to the United States.

USA.gov. Jobs and Unemployment – A government site with information about how and where to look for a new job or career, get help if unemployed, apply for unemployment benefits, find help for job-related discrimination, get a federal government job and more.

Aging-in-Place and Caregiving Services

Aging with Dignity – A private, non-profit organization providing the tools needed to discuss advance care planning and support through resources, workshops and one-on-one assistance that promotes the conversation of dignified care and end-of-life wishes. Its Five Wishes document is the most widely used advance directive or living will in America. It is often called the “living will with a heart and soul” because it includes the things that matter the most. Unlike most other advance directives, it is easy to use and understand.

CaregiverStress.com — CaregiverStress is a site run by Home Instead Senior Care, providing helpful caregiver resources for both loved ones and the caregiver.

EyeCare America – EyeCare America offers medical eye exams, often at no out-of-pocket cost. Since 1985, this award-winning program has helped more than 2 million people get sight-saving care and resources from volunteer eye doctors (ophthalmologists) across the United States.

Healthgrades.com – Healthgrades provide trusted information that helps consumers and providers make meaningful connections. Visitors can search doctors, conditions or procedures as well as treatment centers.

Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) – HFA is a source of information on end of life, hospice care and grief, with information about living with advanced life-limiting illness, options for care and helpful resources for caregivers.

Meals on Wheels – Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity.

myLifeSite.net – myLifeSite provides detailed, objective information and tools for consumers and their advisors when choosing continuing care retirement community (CCRC).

NeedyMeds – NeedyMeds is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit information resource dedicated to helping people locate assistance programs to help them afford their medications and other healthcare costs.

New LifeStyles – New LifeStyles provides comprehensive, quality information on senior residences and care options.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) – PPA is a single point of access to more than 900 public and private patient assistance programs. These programs offer access to thousands of prescription medicines, including a wide range of generics.

Patient Advocate Foundation – Patient Advocate Foundation is a national 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity that provides direct services to patients with chronic, life-threatening and debilitating diseases to help access care and treatment recommended by their doctor.

RxAssist – RxAssist is the web’s most current and comprehensive directory of Patient Assistance Programs, with a comprehensive database of these patient assistance programs, as well as practical tools, news, and articles so that health care professionals and patients can find the information they need.

RxList – RxList is an online medical resource dedicated to offering detailed and current pharmaceutical information on brand name and generic drugs. Founded by pharmacists in 1995, RxList is an important Internet Drug Index resource.

SeniorAdvisor.com – SeniorAdvisor is focused on improving the way people find senior care for themselves and their loved ones by sharing more than 150,000 verified consumer reviews and ratings. It’s one of the largest consumer ratings and reviews websites for senior care and services across the United States and Canada.

Volunteers of America Senior Living and Care Communities – Searchable list of senior living and care communities throughout the United States owned and operated by Volunteers of America.

Employment and Volunteer Programs

AARP Work and Jobs – AARP’s Work and Job section provides information about a range of employment opportunities for seniors.

Score – SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. Since 1964, it has provided education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs.

Senior Corps – Senior Corps is a network of national service programs for Americans 55 years and older, made up of three primary programs that each take a different approach to improving lives and fostering civic engagement. Senior Corps volunteers commit their time to address critical community needs including academic tutoring and mentoring, elderly care, disaster relief support, and more.

SeniorJobBank.org – SeniorJobBank.org is committed to bringing together employers with qualified older job seekers, building an audience of seasoned or experienced workers on the Web that is second to none.

Seniors4Hire.org – Seniors4Hire.org is for businesses that value a diverse demographic to actively find experienced workers 50 and older in the United States from all walks of life. It advocates for seniors seeking jobs or other ways to earn a living, works to persuade businesses to overcome any vestiges of age discrimination and provides content that prepares its members to compete with confidence in the recruitment marketplace.

VolunteerMatch – VolunteerMatch is the largest network in the nonprofit world, with the most volunteers, nonprofits and opportunities to make a difference.

Education and Experiential Learning

Road Scholar – Not-for-profit Road Scholar is the world’s largest and most innovative creator of experiential learning opportunities. It has guided generations of lifelong learners on transformative learning adventures from San Francisco to Siberia, and nearly everywhere in between.

Legal

HG.Org – Information on Elder Law – Senior Law topics: estate planning, Medicaid, disability, and long-term care, guardianship and other matters.

National Elder Law Foundation (NELF) – The National Elder Law Foundation (NELF) is the only national organization certifying practitioners of elder and special needs law. NELF’s Certified Elder Law Attorney designation is itself certified by the American Bar Association. There are over 500 CELAs across the country.

Consumer Services

Medicare Rights Center – The Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs and public policy initiatives.

Travel

FlightArrivals.com – FlightArrivals.com is a free service that offers an independent and comprehensive real-time arrival/departure/delay/ and seat map and airline information for airline flights operating to/from/within the United States and Canada.

Frommers.com – Frommers.com has candid, timely articles written by Frommers.com experts, excerpts from and purchase links to Frommer’s books, and additional insights from its social media accounts, information on its message boards, and links to travel products and services from its booking partners.

Mapquest – Mapquest provides step-by-step walking or driving directions, maps, live traffic updates and road conditions as well as nearby businesses, restaurants and hotels. It also has an app for mobile use.

Photo Credit: Pexels

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