Arranging home care usually starts as a fog: a parent who needs more help than the family can give, and no clear first step. These free tools cut the fog down to three questions — what will it cost, what help is needed, and how do you choose well.
Educational only: the tools help you plan and prepare. They do not assess care needs and do not determine or promise eligibility, coverage, or benefits.
“What is this going to cost us?”
Open the estimator →“We know Mom needs help — we just can’t name it yet.”
Open the checklist →“Agencies are calling back and they all sound the same.”
Open the questions →Tool 1 · 2 minutes · Best first step if you want to know whether the state can help pay
Four questions on age, residence, need, and assets — see whether the Illinois Community Care Program looks like a fit, and what the free state assessment will ask.
Tool 2 · 2 minutes · Best first step if budget is the open question
Estimate weekly, monthly, and annual planning numbers from the hours and hourly rate you enter.
Tool 3 · 5 minutes · Best first step if you are not sure what help is needed
Work through daily life at home — bathing, meals, mobility, memory, nights — and see where help would make the biggest difference.
Tool 4 · 10 minutes · Best first step if you are about to call agencies
The questions that separate a well-run agency from a good brochure — licensing, caregiver screening, backup coverage, costs, and how the family stays in the loop.
The tools prepare you — a navigator finishes the job. One intake tells us what your family needs; we match licensed Illinois agencies and help book the assessment.