Plain-English elder care calculators for familiesmaking hard care decisions.
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Privacy+
This site does not require an account, name, email address, username, password, or public profile to use the elder care calculators.
Calculator entries may be saved only in this browser so you can come back later on the same device and update them.
Shared Journeys submissions run through automatic safety and relevance checks, then human review before anything appears publicly.
The site is not designed to sell personal data. PDF downloads are free and do not require an email address.
Use Clear saved data any time to remove saved calculator information and remembered Shared Journeys review status from this browser.
About+
Welcome to ElderCareDecision.com
Elder care decisions can turn into a pile of separate questions very quickly: How long can my parent afford care? Is home care really cheaper? Should we sell the house?
This site was built to make those questions easier to face. It keeps the experience plain-English, mobile-friendly, and focused on what the numbers may mean.
The goal is not to replace a qualified professional. The goal is to help you see your family's situation more clearly before you make a major care, Medicaid, housing, tax, legal, or medical decision.
ElderCareDecision.com tools work best when they do more than calculate. Each result should explain what you entered, what may be risky, what may be working in your favor, and what practical next steps are worth considering.
Shared Journeys adds another kind of context: anonymous family care experiences from people who have already faced surprises, tradeoffs, and painful timing decisions.
The site is maintained as part of the AnswerWorth network, with public sources, visible assumptions, and methodology notes used to keep the calculations easier to review.
Tools+
Choose one of the three elder care engines, select a level, enter the numbers you know, and click Calculate.
Quick Answer keeps inputs short. Detailed Analysis and Comprehensive Plan reveal more assumptions for users who want a fuller estimate.
Calculation details
Can My Parent Afford Assisted Living? estimates available assets, income, care cost, other expenses, monthly shortfall, care runway, conservative runway, and Medicaid planning urgency.
Home Care vs Assisted Living compares paid home care, family caregiving time, respite, transportation, home modifications, assisted living add-ons, and burnout risk.
Should We Sell The House? compares selling, keeping, renting, and reverse mortgage education estimates while flagging spouse, Medicaid estate recovery, repair, vacancy, and family disagreement concerns.
Results are estimates. They depend on the inputs, assumptions, and missing details shown in the result.
The Download PDF Report button creates a report from the last calculated engine result.
Shared Journeys+
Shared Journeys is an elder care experience library: practical examples that make tradeoffs around care costs, family caregiving, Medicaid planning, housing, and sibling decisions easier to recognize.
The current journeys cover care runway, home care, family caregiving burden, house decisions, Medicaid concerns, and unexpected care changes.
Open Shared JourneysComplete PDF Report+
The calculator results are free to view on this site.
The PDF is a free convenience export for users who want to save, print, or share their elder care calculation. It is an educational report based on the user's entries, not a professional financial, legal, tax, medical, Medicaid, or estate plan.
The PDF report includes the selected calculator, information entered by the user, main care answer, key numbers, care-cost estimate, family burden or home-equity assumptions, risk flags, strengths, weak spots, possible next steps, scenarios when available, assumptions used, and educational disclaimer.
Your results are free. PDF downloads are free and only for saving, printing, or sharing your report.
Click Calculate first so the PDF matches the most recent result shown on the page.
Ads are not included in the PDF report.
Disclaimer+
ElderCareDecision.com is an educational calculator and decision-support tool. It does not provide legal, financial, tax, Medicaid, insurance, medical, estate planning, or professional advice.
Results are estimates based on the information entered and assumptions shown. Care decisions depend on state rules, local care options, health needs, family capacity, taxes, housing, insurance, and personal circumstances.
Read full disclaimerCommon Questions+
Is this financial advice?+
No. ElderCareDecision.com is an educational calculator and decision-support tool. It can help organize assumptions, estimates, and possible next steps, but it does not provide legal, financial, tax, Medicaid, insurance, medical, estate planning, or professional advice.
Do I need an account?+
No. The site does not require an account, username, password, email address, or profile. Calculator entries are saved only in this browser on this device.
Where should I get care-cost numbers?+
Use care quotes, benefit letters, bank statements, and state Medicaid resources where possible. Broad care-cost estimates are a starting point, not a final local quote.
Why do the results show assumptions?+
Elder care planning depends heavily on assumptions like care cost, care inflation, family hours, home equity, Medicaid rules, and local care fees. Showing assumptions makes the result easier to question and update.
Can I export my result?+
Yes. After calculating an engine result, use Download PDF Report to export an ElderCare Report with inputs, key numbers, scenarios, possible next steps, assumptions, and the educational disclaimer. Your results are free; PDF downloads are free and only for saving, printing, or sharing your report.
What You'll Receive
More than a cold care-cost number.
The goal is to help your family see the money, the timing, and the caregiving burden clearly enough to take the next humane step.
Where Should I Start?
Choose the elder care question your family is trying to answer.
Each calculator answers a different painful practical question: care runway, real home-care cost, or whether the house should become part of the care plan.
Can My Parent Afford Assisted Living?
Estimate your parent's care runway, monthly shortfall, exhaustion date, and Medicaid planning urgency.
Check Care RunwayHome Care vs Assisted Living
Compare paid care, family caregiving time, assisted living, memory care, and caregiver burden.
Compare Care OptionsShould We Sell The House?
Compare selling, keeping, renting, reverse mortgage estimates, and the effect on care runway.
Compare Home ChoicesActive engine
Can My Parent Afford Assisted Living?
PDF report options
Results are free. PDF downloads are free and only for saving, printing, or sharing this family care estimate.
Privacy: Your family information stays on your device. This calculator performs calculations in your browser and does not require an account.
Disclaimer: ElderCareDecision.com is an educational calculator and decision-support tool. It does not provide legal, financial, tax, Medicaid, insurance, medical, estate planning, or professional advice. Medicaid rules vary by state. Care costs are estimates and may differ from actual local care options. Families should verify decisions with qualified professionals.
Shared Journeys
Real stories are being collected.
Shared Journeys will feature approved stories from real visitors. Until then, the library stays open for new submissions instead of showing sample story cards.
Share a care journeyCare Runway Articles
Read more about assisted living, spend-down, and running out of money.
Plain-English articles tied to the care runway calculator.
Care Runway
What Happens When My Parent Runs Out of Money for Assisted Living?
Understanding the spend-down warning, facility payment questions, and why Medicaid timing matters before the account is empty
Care Runway
Medicaid Spend-Down Explained in Plain English
A gentle explanation of Medicaid spend-down, why eligibility varies, and why a calculator can only flag urgency
Care Runway
How Long Can Seniors Usually Afford Assisted Living?
Why the answer depends on income, savings, care level, move-in fees, inflation, and whether memory care may be needed later
Calculator questions
Common questions about this estimate
What does the care runway estimate measure?
It estimates how long available savings and income may cover assisted living, memory care, nursing home, or home care costs based on the numbers entered.
Does this estimate determine Medicaid eligibility?
No. Medicaid eligibility depends on state rules, asset type, income rules, medical need, transfers, and timing. This calculator only flags when spend-down planning may become urgent.
When is the estimate less reliable?
The estimate is less reliable when the monthly care cost is a broad planning number instead of a local provider quote, or when care needs are likely to increase soon.
One step at a time
You do not have to solve the whole care decision today.
A useful next step may be as small as replacing one estimate with a real quote, naming one family concern out loud, or asking the right professional one clear question.