Allentown Senior AdvisorWhat usually starts a senior care search in the Lehigh Valley?
The most common triggers are a discharge from Lehigh Valley Hospital or St. Luke's, a fall at home, a new dementia diagnosis, a spouse caregiver reaching exhaustion, savings running low, or an adult child in New York or New Jersey realizing a parent is no longer safe alone.
Each guide below starts from that moment and lists the steps in order, with the Pennsylvania rules and local phone numbers that apply.
Who can help us figure out the next step for free?
Your county's Area Agency on Aging (Lehigh 610-782-3200, Northampton 610-829-4540, Carbon 610-824-7830) gives free help, and a senior advisor can walk through licensed options; both are free to families.
If anyone is in danger, call 911. Suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of an older adult goes to 1-800-490-8505 at any hour.
How fast do families usually have to decide?
It depends on the trigger: a hospital discharge can leave a day or two, a discharge notice from a personal care home gives 30 days, and a gradual decline usually allows weeks or months to tour and plan.
When time is short, decide the license type and town first and take a respite or short-term placement if needed; a second, better-planned move is often easier than a rushed permanent one.
Situations guides
A parent is being discharged from the hospital
What to do when a parent is being discharged from a Lehigh Valley hospital: observation vs admission, Medicare rehab days, choosing a nursing home or personal care home, and going home safely.
Read →When a parent can no longer live alone
Signs a parent is no longer safe alone, the realistic options from home care to a personal care home, and how Lehigh Valley families make the decision together.
Read →After a dementia diagnosis
What to do after a parent's Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis in the Lehigh Valley: legal documents, safety, local support, secured dementia units and paying for care.
Read →When the caregiver is running out
Signs of caregiver burnout and the respite, adult day, in-home and financial help available to family caregivers in Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties.
Read →When the money is running out
What Lehigh Valley families can do when a parent's money is running low: SSI and the state supplement, VA pension, Medical Assistance and nursing home planning, LIFE and CHC.
Read →Moving a parent here from out of state
What adult children in the Lehigh Valley need to know when moving a parent here from New York, New Jersey or elsewhere: licenses, benefits, Medicare, Medicaid and residency.
Read →After a discharge notice
What Lehigh Valley families can do after a Pennsylvania personal care home or assisted living residence issues a discharge notice: the 30-day rule, appeals, the ombudsman and finding the next home.
Read →