The baby boomer generation hit retirement age this year, with the first official boomer turning 65 on Jan. 1, 2011.

Another 10,000 are added each day, and with that milestone come new worries about long-term care for their parents, spouses or themselves.

University of Illinois Extension has a new website designed to help people learn about long-term care options, talk them over with their families and be prepared for their twilight years.

The interactive website, "Long-Term Care: Talking, Deciding, Taking Action," can be found at http://www.longtermcare.illinois.edu and contains videos, fact sheets and other resources.

Websites for long-term care insurance, retirement living or nursing homes are plentiful, and government sites provide some resources, but it's not easy to find impartial information about long-term care all in one place, said Extension specialist Paul McNamara, UI associate professor in family and consumer economics.

"There's not much that doesn't kind of have a commercial axe to grind," he said. "There's a lot of money at stake, especially on the insurance side. It's good to have independent voices."

Even if people understand the options, decisions about long-term care can be daunting and emotional, he said. The website provides tools to help people get through that process.

"We're trying to approach this from the consumer, from the family's point of view," he said.

The website covers four general areas: housing, family dynamics, caregiving, and financing. In each category there are short, practical articles, videos and links to other online resources.

McNamara, 49, said the website is relevant to a 75-year-old whose spouse may be starting to fail, an adult child who is caring for a parent, or a Boomer like him who is starting to think about long-term care as part of his own retirement planning.

The two broad themes are communication and planning.

"Planning can really make a difference, and communication among family members about expectations - not only about where and what kind of services people might be comfortable with, but also the financing of services. Getting some of those things out on the table (helps)."

Many people are uncomfortable expressing their own wishes about where they'd like to live, what type of care they want, or how to pay for it. One section discusses how to have those difficult conversations.

One key: don't wait for a crisis to start planning. A parent can go downhill suddenly, and decisions often have to be made quickly, he said.

"Even if they don't have a lot of money to plan with, having those conversations can make it a lot easier for siblings of an adult parent who is incapacitated and can't communicate their wishes," he said.

McNamara said the website is just the latest project of a group that has been educating the public about long-term care issues for 10 years. Extension specialists in family life and consumer and family economics have worked with University of Minnesota Professor Marlene Stum, an expert in long-term care, to develop a curriculum, teleconferences and workshops in the community.

They always get lots of questions at the workshops, which prompted the website. McNamara worked closely with Kathy Sweedler of the Champaign County Extension office, who coordinated the project.

"I think it's a great resource for people," he said. "We're getting people from all over the country visiting it."

The website is also used by the state's Area Agencies on Aging and other organizations that work with seniors. They have some nursing-home locator sites and other online resources, but they're not aimed at consumer education, he said.

The Extension website, for example, talks about what to look for in a quality nursing home — such as proximity to family and friends, private phones, flexible visiting hours or use of personal furniture, like a favorite chair. Or how to modify your home so that you can live in it longer, with things like grab bars in the bathroom.

McNamara said Extension will continue to hold workshops about long-term care throughout the year. Those interested should contact local Extension offices or the UI Extension website, http://www.extension.uiuc.edu.