Guides
Every guide The Care Letter has published. Each one is independently researched, cites primary sources, and ends with a concrete next action.
10 guides published. Refreshed against primary sources at least annually.
Financial
Caregiver Tax Deductions You're Probably Missing
If you're paying for an aging parent's care, the IRS has at least four tax mechanisms that can offset thousands of dollars. Most families miss them because the rules are spread across three different IRS publications.
FMLA for Eldercare: What Actually Qualifies and How to File
Federal FMLA gives 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave to care for a parent with a serious health condition. The eligibility rules, the paperwork, and the four states that pay you during it.
Long-Term Care Insurance in 2026: When It's Worth It, When It Isn't
Traditional standalone LTC insurance is mostly closed to new buyers. Hybrid life/LTC policies have taken over. Here's the math, the trap, and how to decide if any of it fits your parent's situation.
The Medicaid Look-Back Period Explained (And the Planning Mistakes That Disqualify Families)
The 5-year window the state examines before approving nursing-home Medicaid. What counts as a transfer, what doesn't, and the three things families do that cost them coverage.
Care decisions
The 30-Day Playbook After a Parent's First Fall
What to do in the 30 days after that 2 a.m. call. Discharge planning, home safety, medication review, and the long-term care conversation no one prepared you for.
Hospice Eligibility Explained (The 6-Month Rule, The 4 Levels of Care, and the Misconceptions That Delay Enrollment)
Hospice isn't just for the final two weeks. Medicare covers it indefinitely as long as a physician recertifies prognosis. Families who enroll early get better care, lower costs, and more support — but most enroll far too late.
In-Home Care: Hourly vs. Live-In, Agency vs. Independent, and How to Vet an Agency Properly
The choice between hourly visits, live-in care, agency care, and an independent caregiver determines roughly half of the eventual quality and risk profile. Here's how to choose the model that fits, then the 12 questions that separate a competent agency from a sketchy one.
Memory Care vs. Assisted Living: How to Decide
The clinical, financial, and quality-of-life differences. The signs that suggest memory care is needed. The questions to ask on a tour.
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