Guides for getting older on the Cape
The directory tells you who to call. These tell you what to do, in the order you are likely to need them. Each guide opens with the answer in one minute and the one number to call first, then goes into the detail. All are dated, sourced and printable, and nobody paid to be mentioned in any of them.
Not sure where you are? Start here — pick who you are and what has happened, and we’ll point you to the right page. In an emergency, call 911.
Planning ahead
While things are fine — the cheapest time to decide anything
The papers every family needsHealth care proxy, power of attorney, HIPAA release, MOLST, will or trust — what each does in Massachusetts, and why timing matters.FamilyProperty tax relief at 65+Up to $2,820 back from the state, plus your town’s exemptions, deferral and work-off — and the order to claim them in.MoneyMedicare Open EnrollmentMedicare Open Enrollment, 15 October to 7 December: what you can change, what 2026 costs, and free unbiased help in every town.Now — until 7 DecFall-proof a Cape houseA room-by-room checklist for Cape houses — outside stairs, bulkheads, brick paths, dark drives — plus the zero-interest loan that helps pay.SafetyWhy Cape houses are hard to grow old inLibrary articleWinter and stormsPower cuts, heating help (with this winter’s income limits), shut-off protection at 65+, and a plan for anyone who lives alone.Safety
Something has happened
A fall, a hospital stay, a diagnosis, a licence handed in, a scam
Leaving hospital this weekWhat has to happen in 48 hours, and what to ask before agreeing to anything.Printable sheetYour Council on Aging, town by townLibrary articleA dementia diagnosis: the first 30 daysWhat to do in the first month after a diagnosis, what can wait, and the free Cape organisations that help families.CareWhen driving gets harderThe signs, how to raise it kindly, the Massachusetts rules at 75, and every way to get around the Lower Cape without a car.FamilyScams and contractorsThe scams that reach Cape homes, the Massachusetts contractor rules, how families can protect a parent, and the first hour after money has gone.Safety
Deciding what comes next
Stay and adapt, bring help in, or move — and where
For adult children: the visit and the talkWhat to notice on a visit, how to start the conversation, how siblings stay together, and how to help from another state.FamilyStaying or going? A worksheetA worksheet for the biggest decision: stay and adapt, stay with help, or move — and the Cape questions that decide it.DecisionsWhich kind of place is it? Levels of careAssisted living, rest home, nursing home, memory care, home care: what each is, who inspects it, who pays — and the Lower Cape care gap.CareSell first, or move first?Library articleWhat an agent owes an older sellerLibrary article
Selling the house and moving
Timing, the septic inspection, selling from a distance
After a death
The first weeks, probate, and the family house
After a death: the first days and weeksThe first days, the first weeks, probate in Barnstable County, and what to do — and not do — about the family house.FamilyAn empty Cape house over winterLibrary articlePricing an inherited Cape houseLibrary articleCash offer letters: how to read oneLibrary article
Money, safety and support
Benefits checkSeven questions: which state and town programs you may be missing.New
How to pay for careMassHealth, the Frail Elder Waiver, VA, home care: 2026 limits.New
Scam alerts on the CapeThe latest warnings from Cape police and towns, and who to call.Updated weekly
What the letters meanCELA, CMC, CSA and more: which take exams, and how to check.
Dementia support near youCaregiver groups and memory cafés, with days and times.
Free tech helpLibrary and senior centre sessions for phones and computers.
Give an hourVolunteer roles helping older neighbours.
By the numbersGetting older on the Cape, town by town.
Tools to fill in and print
Your fridge phone sheetYour own doctors, family and helpers on one printable page.
Where my important papers areRecord where the will, proxy and insurance are kept.
The moving checklistEvery step of a downsize, in order, to tick off.
Call sheetsThe questions to ask when you phone a provider, with space for answers.
CalculatorsWill the house cover care? Sell now or wait?From the sponsor
For Councils on Aging, clinics, libraries and churches
Every guide prints cleanly on plain paper without the sponsor’s box. You may print, stock and link to them free. How organisations use these guides.