Adult Care
Find quality caregivers and facilities for older or other dependent adults.
Washington University partners with Bright Horizons and Guidance Resources to provide a range of supports for families.
To access support, pre-register here:
Bright Horizons
Username: WUBACKUP
Password: BACKUP
Guidance Resources
REGISTER
Web ID: WASHU
Find Center-Based Care
Visit Bright Horizons to register for a free membership to Years Ahead to speak with a Senior Advisor, complete an online Care Assessment and search for residential care options.
- From Bright Horizons, choose “Additional Family Supports” then “Find Elder Care Resources.”
Call Guidance Resources at 844-365-4587 for a personalized list of residential care options with confirmed openings. Guidance Resources is also your “go-to” site for support with other adult care issues—legal concerns, taking care of yourself as a caregiver, and more.
Find In-Home Care
Place job advertisements and access SitterCity’s database of providers. Membership is free and employees have unlimited provider background checks. To access, From Bright Horizons, choose “Additional Family Supports” then “Search for Sitters, Nannies and Housekeepers.”
Call Guidance Resources at 844-365-4587 for a list of local in-home care placement agencies. Guidance Resources is also your “go-to” site for support with other adult care issues—legal concerns, taking care of yourself as a caregiver, and more.
Emergency/Backup Family Care with Bright Horizons (WashU Partner)
Use backup care when you have an emergency situation, such as a sick caregiver, help after a medical procedure, shift change or your care center is closed.
You are eligible for Backup Care Benefits if you are:
- A regular faculty member with an appointment of 50% or more of the required full-time faculty workload.
- A regular staff employee whose standard work schedule is 20 or more hours per week.
- A postdoctoral associate; or postdoctoral research scholar who receives payments from WashU.
- A clinical fellow who receives payments from WashU.
- A full-time graduate or professional student.
After registering, go to Bright Horizons, then select “Family Solutions” and “Reserve Back-up Care”. You can also reserve care by calling 1-877-242-2737 or by downloading and using the Bright Horizons mobile app.
- Reserve backup adult or elder care in your home or theirs, even if they live in another state.
- Request same-day care, or care for future dates up to 60 days in advance.
- Access to 20 days of backup care per calendar year.
- Small copay with each reservation: in-home care is $7 per hour with a 4-hour minimum.
- Book online or on-the-go reservations through the mobile app.
- Out-of-network care is available through your own personal network and reimbursable up to $150. Immediate family members are not eligible for reimbursement.
- Any taxable wages attributable to the utilization of backup care will be reported on your W-2 for the year. The fair market value for adult backup care services is $150 per day, minus any copays. Please consult your tax advisor for guidance.
Resources – Caring for Older or Other Dependent Adults
Bright Horizons Adult Care Resources (July 2022)
Resources to Support Employees Caring for Older Adults
What do you really know about long-term care? (Links to an external site)
23 Questions to Ask Your Aging Parent
Online Resources
These resources not affiliated with Washington University.
They are not endorsed by the university and are listed for informational purposes.
The Medicaid Planning Assistance website gets you started on the process of moving onto Medicaid. It mentions that many people use an outside person to help with this process and talks about the different types of planners you can use. Some friends of mine used the Beck Elder Care Law firm, but there are plenty of other options out there, including accessing legal support through Washington University’s EAP.
This website tool allows you to search for residential care options that accept Medicare and/or Medicaid for all or part of their payment. Since websites for many residential care facilities are not always transparent about the funding they allow, this is a tool that can help families save time when looking for care.
As a result of the 1973 amendments to the federal Older Americans Act (OAA), states were required Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) to develop and implement programs and services for older persons at the local level.
Each AAA is required to provide the following categories of service:
- Legal Services
- Nutrition–both congregate and home-delivered
- In-Home Services–which might include homemaker, chore, personal care or respite
- Disease Prevention/Health Promotion
- Access–which includes transportation, information and assistance, advocacy, outreach, and case management at some AAAs
Greater St. Louis AAAs
- Louis Area Agency on Aging (St. Louis City Only) slaaa.org
- Aging Ahead (Serves St. Louis, St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson Counties) agingahead.org
VOYCE’s mission is to educate and empower individuals and their families for quality living across the continuum of long-term care. They help to ensure a quality life for people living on the long-term care continuum by:
- Illuminating choices for long-term care
- Providing a voice to residents
- Giving compassionate and comforting support
- Building relationships with caregivers and the community
Find and review licensing reports, and search for a range of care options based on type and location
Information on a wide range of topics related to elder and adult care in Missouri. Also provides a self-search for providers on “Show Me Long Term Care in Missouri”
Education, resources and support for families caring for an adult child with disabilities.
Each state classifies assisted living and nursing homes in a different way, and each state has different rules and regulations to follow to ensure senior health. This guide has detailed information for all 50 states about topics like how each state defines assisted living, admission and retention policies, square feet requirements, and more. This resource will help you evaluate and make informed decisions about care for an older adult.
Managing care for the older adults in our lives can be daunting. A new resource for families on this journey is Aging Gracefully. This organization provides a range of assessment and supports to guide decision-making.
Book Recommendation
Shared Stories from Daughters of Alzheimer’s: Writing a Path to Peace
by Kathleen Adams
Shared Stories from Daughters of Alzheimer’s is a support group in print for those escorting a loved one on the Alzheimer’s journey.
Nine women map the passage of a parent through Alzheimer’s disease, describing the evolution of their own emotional responses to the disease and the changes it effects in the patient and in her relationship with family members. The book invites the reader to take a first step in healing from Alzheimer’s ripple effect by beginning to journal about the experience.
Questions?
Lisa Eberle-Mayse, MA
Child and Family Care Facilitator
- Phone: 314-935-3060
- Fax: 314-935-5146
- Email: FamilyCare@wustl.edu