HERE COMES A FREE EXTRA THING THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW...MANY OF THESE NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS HAVE STATE & LOCAL CHAPTERS, TOO!! Please check your local directory.

Administration on Aging, 200 Independence Ave. S.W., Room 309, Washington, D.C. 20201; tel. 202-401-4541. Web site address: http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov . This or­ganization can provide the address of the office on aging and nursing home ombudsperson nearest you.

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, P.O. Box 8547, Silver Spring, Md. 20907-8547; tel. toll-free 800-358-9295. Web site address: http://www.ahcpr.gov . The AHCPR works to enhance the quality, appropri­ateness, and effectiveness of health care services and to improve access to care. It provides free publications about nursing home care.

Aging Network Services, 4400 East-West Highway, Suite 907, Bethesda, Md. 20814; tel. 301-657-4329. Website address: http://www.agingnets.com . It's a nationwide network of private-practice geriatric social workers who serve as care managers for older parents who live at a distance.

Alzheimer's Association, 919 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1000, Chicago, IL. 60611-1676; tel. 800-272-3900. Web site address: http://www.alz.org . Call or write for in­formation on services, programs, and publications or to find the chapter nearest you. The association has a lobbying branch: Public Policy Division, Alzheimer's Association, 1319 F St. N.W., Suite 710, Washington, D.C. 20004; tel. 202-393-7737.

Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center, P.O. Box 8250, Silver Spring, Md. 20907-8250; tel. 301-495-3311 / toll-free 800-438-4380. This wonderful website address is: http://www.alzheimers.org. It's a service of the National Institute on Aging, distributes information and free materials on a wide variety of topics related to Alzheimer disease to health professionals, patients and their families, and the general public.

American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 1050, Bethesda, Md. 20814; tel. 301-654-7850. Web site address: http://www.aagpgpa.org . Dedicated to enhancing the mental health and well-being of older people by improving the knowledge base and standard of practice in geriatric psychi­atry through education and research.

American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, 901 E St. N.W., Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20004; tel. 202-783-2242. Web site address: http://www.aahsa.org . Represents not-for-profit nursing homes, continuing-care retirement communities, senior housing facilities, assisted living facilities, and community services organizations dedicated to pro­viding high-quality health care, housing, and services to the nation's elderly persons.

American Association of Retired Persons, 601 E St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20049; tel. 202-434-2277 / toll-free 800-424-3410. Web site address: http://www.aarp.org. It's a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping older Americans achieve improved lives of independence, dignity, and purpose.

American Cancer Society, 1599 Clifton Rd. N.E., Atlanta, Ga. 30329; tel. 404-320-3333 / toll-free 800-277-2345. Web site address: http://www.cancer.org .

American Diabetes Association, PO. Box 25757, 1660 Duke St., Alexandria, Va. 22314; tel. 703-549-1500. Web site address: http://www.diabetes.org .

American Geriatrics Society, 770 Lexington Ave., Suite 300, New York, N.Y. 10021; tel. 212-308-1414 / toll-free 800-247-4779.Websiteaddress:http://www.americangeriatrics.org . It's a professional association of geriatric physicians.

American Health Care Association, 1201 L St. N.W., Washington, DC. 20005; tel. 202-842-4444. Web site address: http://www.ahca.org . An association of for-profit and not-for-profit nursing homes; they have several publications/

American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, Tex. 75231; tel. 214-373-6300. Web site address: http://www.americanheart.org .

American Society on Aging, 833 Market St., Suite 511, San Francisco/Calif. 94103; tel. 415-974-9600 / toll-free 800-537-9728. Web site address: http://www.asaging.org . Publishes the journal Generations and the newsletter Aging Today.

Children of Aging Parents, 1609 Woodbourne Rd., Suite 302-A, Levittown, Pa. 19057; tel. 215-945-6900 / toll-free 800-227-7294. Web site address: http://www.careguide.net Provides information and referrals for caregivers of older people...........

Eldercare   http://www.eldercarelink.com/consumerApp1.aspx

Family Caregiver Alliance, 425 Bush St., Suite 500, San Francisco, Calif. 94108; tel. 415-434-3388 / toll-free 800-445-8106. Web site address: http://www.caregiver.org. A resource center serving the San Francisco Bay area, for families of adults with brain damage, including people with dementia. Their publications are available to caregivers and professionals. (Note: was previously called Family Survival Project.)

Family Service America, 11700 W. Lake Park Dr., Milwaukee, WI, 53224; tel. 414-359-1040. Web site address: http://www.fsanet.org . A network of member social service agencies.

Gerontological Society of America, 1275 K St. N.W., Suite 350, Washington, D.C. 20005-4006; tel. 202-842-1275. Web site address: http://www.geron.org .It's a professional organization; it publishes The Gerontologist and Journal of Gerontology.

Gray Panthers, 733 15th St., Suite 437, Washington, D.C. 20005; tel. 202-466-3132 / toll-free 800-280-5362. An advocacy organization for older people.

Huntington's Disease Society of America, 158 W. 29th St., 7th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001; tel. 212-242-1968 / toll-free 800-345-4372. Web site address: http://www.hdsa.mgh.harvard.edu .

National Adult Day Services Association, 409 3rd St. S.W., Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20024; tel. 202-479-6682. Web site address: http://www.ncoa.org/nadsa/ .

National Association for Continence, EO. Box 8310, Spartanburg, S.C. 29305- 8310; tel. 864-579-7900 / toll-free 800-252-3337. Web site address: http://www.nafc.org . A patient-advocacy group that works to educate the public and health professionals about the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of urinary incontinence. Publishes a resource guide of products and services for incontinence. (Note: was previously called Help for Incontinent People.)

National Association for Homecare, 228 7th St. S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003; tel. 202-547-4724. Web site address: http://www.nahc.org . A trade association representing home care providers.

National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers,  1604 North Country Club Rd., Tucson, Ariz. 85716; tel. 520-881-8008. For a fee, the agency offers a membership directory of professionals who care for elderly persons.

National Association of Social Workers, 750 1st St. N.E., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20002; tel. 202-408-8600 / toll-free 800-638-8799. Web site address: http://www.socialworkers.org

National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, 1424 16th St. N.W., Suite 202, Washington, D.C. 20036; tel. 202-332-2275. Web site address: http://www.nccnhr.org. A national nonprofit membership organization concerned with improving the long-term care system and the quality of life for long-term care residents.

National Council on the Aging, 409 3rd St. S.W, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20024; tel. 202-479-1200 / toll-free 800-424-9046. Web site address: http://www.ncoa.org. Publishes an annotated bibliography; has infor­mation about adult day care/home care, and other respite care.

National Family Caregiver Association, 10605 Concord St., Suite 501, Kensington, Md. 20895-2504; tel. 301-942-6430 / toll-free 800-896-3650. Web site address: http://www.nfcacares.org.

National Hospice Organization, 1901 N. Moore St., Suite 901, Arlington, Va. 22209; tel. 703-243-5900 / toll-free 800-658-8898. Web site address: http://www.nho.org .

National Mental Health Association, 1021 Prince St., Alexandria, Va. 22314; tel. 703-684-7722 / toll-free 800-969-6642. Web site address: http://www.nmha.org.

National Stroke Association, 96 Inverness Dr. East, Suite I, Englewood, Colo. 80112-5112; tel. 303-649-9299 / toll-free 800-787-6537. Web site address: http://www.stroke.org .


Older Women's League, 666 llth St. N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20001; tel. 202-783-6686 / toll-free 800-825-3695. An advocacy organization addressing many issues of concern to caregiving families.

Safe Return, PO. Box 9307, St. Louis, Mo. 63117-0307; toll-free tel. 888-572-8566. A joint program of the Aizhei­mer's Association and the National Center for Miss­ing Persons. Caregivers fit a person who has dementia with a bracelet showing the person's name, the regis­tered caregiver's name, and Safe Return's toll-free number (800-572-1122) to aid in that person's return should he or she become disoriented or lost.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 1120 Vermont Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20421; toll-free tel. 800-827-1000.

FEDERAL INSTITUTES

National Institute of Mental Health, Adult and Geriatric Treatment and Preventive Interventions Research Branch, Room 10-75, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md. 20857; tel. 301-443-1185.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Office of Scientific and Health Reports, National Insti­tutes of Health, Building 31, Room 8A-06, 31 Center Dr., MSC 2540, Bethesda, Md. 20892-2540; tel. 301-496-5751 / toll-free 800-352-9424. Web site address: http://www.ninds.nih.gov.

National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Dr., Building 31, Room 5C27, Bethesda, Md. 20892-2292; tel. 301-496-1752 / toll-free 800-438-4380. Distributes brochures and information about the federally funded dementia centers and other federal initiatives; publishes a free directory of organizations that serve elderly people.


INTERNET SITES

AgeNet. Web site address: http://www.agenet.com. An information and referral network designed to communicate information about products and services that are important to enhancing the quality of life of older adults and their families.

Eldercare http://www.eldercarelink.com/consumerApp1.aspx

SeniorNet. Web site address: http://www.seniornet.org. A national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a community of computer-using seniors.