I started this for my mom. And for every family going through what we are.

My mother has fallen several times. More than one of those falls meant surgery and a hospital stay, and each time our family had to figure out rehab, coming home, and what had to change in her house.

Then I noticed that $9,000 had been withdrawn in cash from her bank account. I believe a contractor she had hired to work on her house drove her to the bank and had her take the money out. She trusted him. Most of our parents' generation was raised to trust people that way.

More recently, while reviewing her bank statement, I found four automatic payments going to four separate life insurance policies, plus checks she had written to a fifth life insurance company two months in a row. I also found several automatic monthly payments to different charities, the kind that send emotional letters and calls aimed at older people. Nobody in the family knew about most of them.

Soon we may have to look at assisted living, which brings a whole new set of questions about cost, care levels, and what to do with the house. I'd rather our family have those answers before a crisis forces a rushed decision.

As I talked with friends, clients, and neighbors, I realized almost everyone my age is dealing with some version of this. Most of us don't know where to start, who to trust, or what questions to ask. That's why I built Assistance 4 Utah Seniors: clear explanations, vetted local programs, and workshops taught by the professionals who handle these issues every day.

I'm Jeff Marchant, a licensed Realtor with Marchant Real Estate Group at eXp Realty, and I'm upfront about that. If your family ever needs help selling a parent's home or finding the right next place to live, I'd be honored to help. But that's not why this site exists, and you never need to work with me to use anything here.

See the money warning signs I wish I'd caught sooner

We're starting in Salt Lake County and plan to grow into Davis, Utah, Tooele, and Summit counties next.