Medicare Open Enrollment runs 15 October to 7 December.What you can change, and how to book a free SHINE counsellor
What has happened?
Most people arrive here in a hard week, not with a plan. Pick the sentence closest to yours and we will take you to the right help on Cape Cod, town by town.
535 services in all fifteen towns, each dated when a person last checked it. Nobody pays to be listed. How this is paid for
Choose the one closest to yours
- We are leaving hospital this weekWhat to do first, what to ask before you agree
- There has been a fall, or a spell in hospitalHelp at home, rehab, equipment
- Mom or Dad has stopped drivingRides, medical transport, meals
- A diagnosis of dementiaMemory care, day programs, family support
- The house has become too muchAging in place, handymen, assisted living
- We are clearing out a houseMovers, estate sales, clean-outs, storage
- I am the one holding it togetherCaregiver support, care managers, respite
- The money will not stretchBenefits, tax credits, fuel help, legal aid
- Someone has died and there is an estate to settleProbate court, attorneys, taxes, the empty house
- We have inherited a houseThe first weeks, probate, and what to do about the house
- There is no family nearbyStaying or going: a worksheet, and who can help
- A call or a contractor did not feel rightScams, contractor rules, what to do in the first hour
- I just want the phone numbersThe twelve worth keeping by the phone
- Free, with no accountEvery listing and number is open to read and print.
- Checked by hand174 of 535 checked in the last 30 days, each with its date.
- Nobody pays to be listedNo referral fees and no paid ranking. Our rules.
- Tell us if a number is wrongEvery listing has a button for it, and a person reads every one.
This month on the Cape: October
- Medicare open enrollment starts October 15October 15 – December 7
- Hang up on Medicare sales callsEspecially October – December
- Apply for fuel assistance before the coldBenefits start November 1
At your senior centre
Classes, talks, flu clinics and free Medicare help at every Council on Aging, read from their own calendars each morning. See every town.
The twelve numbers worth keeping by the phone
Free, no account needed, no catch. If you only take one thing from this whole directory, take Elder Services: it is the single best starting number on the Cape.
- Elder Services of Cape Cod & the Islands (ESCCI)The single best starting point on the Cape800-244-4630
- SHINE (Cape & Islands)Medicare / health insurance counseling508-375-6762
- CCRTA / DARTRides — local & to Boston hospitals800-352-7155
- ESCCI Senior NutritionMeals on Wheels & senior dining508-394-4630
- Alzheimer's Assoc. HelplineAlzheimer's / dementia — 24/7800-272-3900
- Alzheimer's Family Support CtrAlzheimer's / dementia — local support508-896-5170
- South Coastal Counties Legal ServicesFree legal aid (60+)800-244-9023
- MA Elder Abuse HotlineReport elder abuse — after hours800-922-2275
- LIHEAP (SSCAC)Heating / fuel assistance877-383-5243
- Cape Cod District Veterans' ServicesVeterans' benefits & services508-778-8740
- Housing Assistance Corp (HAC)Affordable & senior housing508-771-5400
- SSA Hyannis OfficeSocial Security (Hyannis)866-467-0440
- Your Council on AgingChoose your town and its number appears here. We remember it on this device.
Start with your town
A service in the next town is not always a service in yours. Choose your town and the directory shows what reaches it. We remember your choice on this device only.
Guides: what to do, not just who to call
Short, printable and dated, with the sources listed. Nobody paid to be mentioned in any of them. See all the guides, or browse the library.
One email a month for your town
On the first of each month: what to do this month (Medicare, taxes, fuel help, storms), what is on at your senior centre, and any number in your town that changed. Nothing else. Unsubscribe with one click.
Work with older people? Get the Monday list of every change instead.
Rather keep your saved list on your phone too? · Moving house? Get the free 12-page Downsizing Checklist
For discharge planners and Councils on Aging
Build a one-page referral packet with your name on it, put the directory on your own website, and get every corrected number and closed agency by email each Monday. Free.