Nobody trains you for this job. Start here.
One day your parent is fine. Then there is a fall, a diagnosis, or a hospital stay, and suddenly you are the one on hold with Medicare, sorting a shoebox of paperwork, and making decisions you never expected to make. This site exists to make that job manageable.
Start with these guides
The Paperwork Starter Kit
The six documents every caregiver needs in one folder before the next crisis, and how to get each one.
Build your folder →Get permission to talk to Medicare
Medicare will not discuss your parent's account with you until you are authorized. Here is exactly how to fix that.
Get authorized →Appeal a denied claim
Most people never appeal, and many appeals win. The levels, the deadlines, and what to send.
Fight the denial →Home care, assisted living, or aging in place?
An honest comparison of what each option really costs in 2026 and the questions to ask before you sign anything.
Compare the options →What this site is, and what it is not
The Caregiver Desk is written for the adult child, usually somewhere in their 40s, 50s, or 60s, who just became a parent's part-time case manager on top of a job and a family. Every guide is in plain English. Short steps. No insurance jargon. No scare tactics.
Just as important is what this site is not. We do not sell insurance. We do not recommend or compare specific Medicare plans. If you need help choosing a plan for your parent, use your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), a free counseling service you can find at shiphelp.org, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
The three-call rule for overwhelmed caregivers
When everything feels urgent, almost nothing actually is. Most caregiving weeks come down to three calls or tasks that matter. Here is a sane order of operations:
- Get the paperwork in order first. Without a HIPAA authorization and the right power of attorney documents, every other task gets harder. The starter kit walks you through it.
- Get yourself authorized with Medicare and the plan. One form for Medicare, one call to the plan. After that, you stop hearing "we can only speak with the member." The steps are in this guide.
- Then handle the money and care questions. Denied claims have real deadlines (see the appeals guide), and care decisions go better when you know the real costs (see the home care guide).
Latest guides
Medicare prior authorization is changing
Hard deadlines for plan decisions (72 hours urgent, 7 days standard), plus electronic status checks coming in 2027.
Read the guide →Medicare's GUIDE dementia care program
Up to $2,500 a year in respite care and a care navigator — but only for Original Medicare, not Medicare Advantage.
Read the guide →