What usually starts a senior care search in Memphis?
The most common triggers are a hospital discharge from a Methodist, Baptist, Saint Francis or Regional One hospital, a fall, a new dementia diagnosis, a family caregiver reaching exhaustion, or savings running low.
Each guide below starts from that moment and lists the steps in order, with the Tennessee rules and local phone numbers that apply.
Who can help us figure out the next step for free?
The Aging Commission of the Mid-South's Information and Assistance line at (901) 222-4111 gives free help for Shelby, Fayette and Tipton counties, and a senior advisor can walk through licensed options; both are free to families.
If anyone is in danger, call 911. Suspected abuse or neglect goes to Adult Protective Services at 1-888-277-8366.
What if our situation is not listed here?
Start with the question of what help is needed and when: list the daily tasks your parent can no longer do safely, note whether help is needed at night, and check what the budget can sustain for two to three years.
Those three answers usually point to one or two Tennessee license types, and the directory then shows which licensed providers exist near you.
Situations guides
When a parent is being discharged from a Memphis hospital
Hospital discharge in Memphis: inpatient vs. observation status, skilled nursing or inpatient rehab, home health, and starting TennCare CHOICES before Medicare runs out.
Read →When a parent can no longer live alone
Signs a parent in the Memphis area can no longer live alone safely, options from in-home help to assisted living, and how to approach the conversation.
Read →After a dementia diagnosis
Next steps after an Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis for Memphis families: powers of attorney, driving and safety, caregiver support, and when a secured memory care unit is needed under Tennessee rules.
Read →When the family caregiver is running out of strength
Help for exhausted family caregivers in the Memphis area: respite under TennCare CHOICES, adult day care, OPTIONS in-home help, and the Aging Commission of the Mid-South.
Read →When the money is running out
What Memphis families can do when savings for care are running low: TennCare CHOICES timing, Qualifying Income Trusts, VA Aid and Attendance, and asking facilities about CHOICES.
Read →After a parent falls
What to do after an older adult falls in Memphis: medical follow-up, home safety, Medicare home health and therapy, and when a move to assisted living makes sense under Tennessee's mobility rules.
Read →Arranging care in Memphis from far away
For families living outside Memphis: how to check Tennessee licenses and enforcement records remotely, who to call locally, and how to plan a productive visit.
Read →Considering care across the line in DeSoto County, Mississippi
What changes when a Memphis family considers assisted living in DeSoto County, MS: Mississippi licensing, Mississippi Medicaid waivers, and losing TennCare CHOICES and Tennessee agencies.
Read →