What is most important to remember in those moments is to start at the beginning: by evaluating your needs for care and weighing them against the possible providers.

One care concern, the cost of care, is discussed in detail in the payment sections for each type of care and service. This section of the Web site offers the guidance and tools necessary for you to evaluate your needs for care.

• Type of Care Needed helps you make an informed decision about which form of care meets your unique situation by explaining what you can expect from nursing homes, home health services, hospice services, and other care options.

• Quality of Care explains the relevance of the ratings system for measuring the quality of staffing, facility or service, care, and value of each of the nursing homes, home health care agencies, and hospice organizations listed on this site.

• Personal Concerns helps you consider the importance of place, people, and the reality of availability when looking for the most fitting care.

• Legal Concerns helps you prepare for other decisions that often go along with long-term care, such as how to set up legal documents directing final health care, directing preferences for final arrangements after death, and setting up a plan to dispose of your property.