SeniorNavigator.org provides information about resources that address health and aging issues, financial concerns, legal questions, caregiving support, housing and assisted living facilities, and much more.

There is a wealth of information available concerning all of the issues and choices surrounding aging. However, sorting through this information can be confusing, time-consuming, and exhausting. The difficulty of making retirement living decisions often leads seniors and their caregivers to delay vital choices until the situation is dire.

A new public service in Virginia seeks to solve this problem and alleviate the confusion of seniors and their caregivers. SeniorNavigator.org is a website featuring over 19,000 programs and services available in Virginia. This single, easy-access point provides information about resources that address health and aging issues, financial concerns, legal questions, caregiving support, housing and assisted living facilities, and much more.

From locating an assisted living facility for your dad to finding transportation for your husband who can no longer drive, SeniorNavigator can provide resources to help. Whether you need help paying for your prescriptions or assistance caring for your mom, there are resources available in the community, and this web site can help you find them. Seniors, their caregivers, and professionals in Virginia can now easily find the local services they need. More than just an on-line telephone book listing, SeniorNavigator provides information such as: hours of operation, methods of payment, languages spoken, available transportation, eligibility requirements, and various other subjects. Additionally, there are hundreds of up-to-date articles and over 2,000 links to other aging support web sites that can be helpful for anyone, whether they live in Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. In addition, SeniorNavigator also offers an “Ask an Expert” feature on the website. Consumers, regardless of which state they live in, are invited to anonymously ask questions that have been particularly challenging for them. Questions like, “How do I tell my father that I don’t think he should be driving anymore?” or “What do I do when my mother, who has Alzheimer’s, wanders around the house in the middle of the night?”

SeniorNavigator sends the questions to one of more than 45 experts who volunteer for the organization. An answer will be delivered to the senior or family member within several days.

If you like to find information the good, old fashioned way, SeniorNavigator is not just on-line; it is in your community too. Across Virginia, hospitals, libraries, clinics, Area Agencies on Aging, schools, senior centers, and even police stations and churches have volunteered to serve as SeniorNavigator Centers.

These Centers make it possible for all Virginians to locate free health and aging information regardless of income, locality, or access to a computer. Specifically designed for individuals without a home computer or Internet access, all of the community-based Centers have trained staff members who use the SeniorNavigator website to assist seniors and caregivers in obtaining information about support services.

For more information about local services or to find the SeniorNavigator Center nearest you, visit www.seniornavigator.org or call 1-866-393-0957.

This article was reprinted with permission from Guide to Retirement Living SourceBook, to access the original article and additional senior living resources in VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, NJ click here.