Maybe you've noticed that dad's unopened mail is piling up. Or mom, once meticulous about her appearance, is wearing wrinkled clothes and not doing her hair. Perhaps there are bruises on your aging parent's arms. When you bring up the subject, you hear, "Everything is fine. There's no need to worry."

When chronic health conditions, surgery, dementia or even the normal aging process make it unsafe for a senior to live at home, home care can provide the assistance a senior needs, while enabling them to continue living at home. But when considering this option, many caregivers are concerned about the cost and how to pay for home care.

Over 1.5 million wartime service veterans and their surviving spouses are eligible for billions of dollars a year in VA pensions to help pay for long-term care such as assisted living, nursing home and home care. The pensions are called "Aid and Attendance" and "Housebound." Many are not getting the benefits they are eligible for, because they lack the knowledge of what programs are available and don't know how to file for pension benefits.

Using an agency to hire paid caregivers may give older adults and their families a false sense of security regarding the background and skill set of the caregiver, according to a recent study. Just because it's an agency employee doesn't necessarily mean the caregiver is trained to care for an elderly person.