You want to grow old in your own home, but you know you need some help to make that happen. You also realize that at some point, you will want to know what your options are if you should need long-term care. You want to plan ahead because you want to make informed decisions. You don't want you or your family to have to make important decisions in a crisis. You may have heard that there are resources to help you, but how do you find them? Where do you go to find the information you need?

Help is available and it’s free. Ohio's 13 PASSPORT administrative agencies offer free long-term care consultations that provide older adults, their families and caregivers with unbiased information, resources and tools that will help them plan for and make educated decisions about their unique, long-term care needs.

A long-term care consultation can help you determine what setting is best for you, understand the cost of long-term care and your financial options, find appropriate housing or enroll in home care and caregiver programs through community providers. A consultation also can help consumers connect to community resources that provide information about financial planning, legal assistance, elder rights, mental health, disease management, Medicare help, palliative care and more.