How to read care information carefully
Check who wrote it and why, look for dates and evidence, and turn what you read into questions for a provider or clinician.
Search for any care topic and you will find rankings, statistics and confident advice. Some of it is useful, and some of it is marketing. A few habits help you tell the difference and turn what you read into questions for a provider or clinician.
Who wrote it, and why
The National Institute on Aging suggests checking who owns and funds a website, who wrote the page and whether their qualifications are stated, what the page is trying to get you to do, when it was last updated, and what evidence backs its claims. The same checks work for care directories and blogs.
- Does the site earn money when you choose a provider it recommends?
- Is the author named, and is it clear what they know?
- Is there a date, and could anything have changed since?
- When a number appears, is there a link to where it came from?
Source: How To Find Reliable Health Information Online, National Institute on Aging (publisher’s content reviewed January 12, 2023; checked September 7, 2026)
Where to start
For health topics, the NIA points to government sources such as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and MedlinePlus as starting points, and advises talking with a health professional before acting on what you read. For nursing homes, Medicare’s Care Compare publishes inspection results. For local services, the Eldercare Locator from the Administration for Community Living is the official starting point.
Sources: How To Find Reliable Health Information Online, National Institute on Aging (publisher’s content reviewed January 12, 2023; checked September 7, 2026); Choosing a nursing home, Medicare.gov, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (checked September 9, 2026); Eldercare Locator, U.S. Administration for Community Living (checked September 7, 2026)
How to read a “best of” list
Suppose a page ranks the ten best assisted living communities in a city. Before trusting it, ask how they were chosen, whether the site receives referral fees from the communities it lists, and when the list was made. A ranking can be a place to start looking; it is not a conclusion.
Turn what you read into questions
Write down the claims that matter to your decision, such as “a nurse is on site 24 hours,” and bring them to a tour or interview as questions. A provider’s written answer counts for more than a website’s summary, including ours.
Our tour questions are a ready-made place to add them.
About our guides
Our guides are written and source-checked by Find A Care Partner. Each one shows the date it was last updated, the date its cited sources were checked and, where we adapted an earlier article, when that article was first published. They have not been reviewed by a clinician, benefits counselor or attorney, which is why they stick to definitions and questions rather than recommendations.
Sources
These pages informed the sections that cite them; the questions and checklists are our own. Links were checked on .
- How To Find Reliable Health Information Online, National Institute on Aging.Publisher’s content reviewed January 12, 2023. Checked September 7, 2026.
- Choosing a nursing home, Medicare.gov, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.Checked September 9, 2026.
- Eldercare Locator, U.S. Administration for Community Living.Checked September 7, 2026.