5 elder care organizations you need to know about unless you're rich (or maybe even if you are)

This group of five organizations, dedicated to the advocacy, care and protection of the elderly,  are of special importance.  These are the groups who not only help individuals, but also maintain a voice for the elderly that reaches all the way to Capitol Hill.  Take a look at them – they could save you a lot of time in the present, and possibly, protect and defend you in the future...

AARP www.aarp.org - AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons) is at the top of my list.  Based in Washington D.C., AARP provides benefits, services and special products for people over age 50, from supplemental medical and long-term care insurance to discounts on prescription drugs, and a whole lot in between.  They are one of the most powerful lobbying voices on behalf of elderly people in the United States and currently have almost 40,000,000 members...

The Consumer Voice http://theconsumervoice.org - If you want to know what your rights are as a long-term care consumer, you'll want to know about The Consumer Voice (formerly NCCNHR), one of the most important sources for long-term care advocacy, education and policy in the United States.  Nearly 40 years old, they are a watchdog in the fight against inadequate nursing home staffing, and they constantly advocate for the rights of residents and their families...

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) http://www.ncoa.org/  I didn't know until recently that NCOA is actually the first charitable organization (founded in 1950) that provided a voice for older Americans.  A nonprofit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC., NCOA works as a kind of umbrella organization, bringing together thousands of community organizations, business, and other nonprofits in order to help seniors citizens improve their benefits, maintain good health, and remain active.  They are particularly concerned with the vulnerable and the disadvantaged...

FATE (Foundation Aiding The Elderly)  FATE is dedicated to protecting the elderly from abuse, as well as advocating for the reform and regulation of the laws governing the nursing home industry.  They are a privately funded organization and do not charge for their services: http://www.4Fate.org

Audient http://www.audientalliance.org/ Audiology is the poor stepchild of elder care who often has to take a backseat to the omnipresent life and death issues of the elderly.  But from my point of view, life without quality of life is a living death, and those who can't hear are effectively cut off from a good piece of what's going on in society.  Audient is a national nonprofit hearing care alliance of hearing health care professionals, suppliers, and others whose aim is to bring quality hearing aids and related care to low-income, hearing impaired, people.  My father was hearing-impaired, and I cannot express how much that issue affected his entire life, particularly at the end when his hearing was almost gone and the hearing aids he needed were too expensive for me to afford...

Check out my website at http://www.jamielegon.com to see an excerpt from my book FEET FIRST-Riding the Elder Care Rollercoaster with My Father, engage in my conversation on aging as well as other topics, or to contact me directly...