Here's a listing of publications, videos and Websites that offer information and advice to guide Florida caregivers.

Rating Nursing Homes - The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has unveiled a new Web site to help people evaluate nursing homes throughout the state. In addition to information about ownership and special programs, it includes scores based on more than three years worth of inspection data. Go to www.fdhc.state.fl.us then click on "Nursing Home Guide.'' If you have questions, call 1-888-419-3456.

Services for seniors - The revised guide to elder care services in Hillsborough County is out. The 10th Edition Gold Resource Directory is a broad collection of community programs and services for older people and their caregivers. Produced by the West Central Florida Area Agency on Aging, it's $10, plus shipping and handling. Call 800-336-2226, ext. 238 or 813-740-3888, ext. 238 to order one.

Special store - Florida-based company Ageless Design, Inc. has launch the first Internet marketplace for people with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. It's www.alzstore.com. Products are divided into categories, such as wandering, safety, incontinence, caregiving, falls and forgetfulness. Among the products for sale are a stove-top fire fighter and a special telephone that enables a person to make a call by pressing a picture.

Benefits search - The National Council on Aging has created a Website to guide people 55 and older to the state and federal assistance programs they may qualify for. An estimated five million older Americans are eligible for a number of state and federal services - tax breaks, prescription drug assistance, health benefits - that they don't know about. So the National Council on Aging has created a Website to help them find the programs and figure out whether they qualify. Go to www.benefitscheckup.org.

Classic reference - One of the best references on caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease has been released in paperback. Warner Books produced this $7.99 version of "The 36-Hour Day." Originally written in 1981 and thoroughly revised in 1999, the book covers advances in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, theories about its cause, insurance issues and resources available to family members of people with Alzheimer's.

Online support - Find caregiver advice, the latest caregiver research and statewide resources at a Website created by the University of Florida Center for Research on Telehealth and Health Communication. The site, http://www.floridatelecare.com is sponsored by the state Department of Elder Affairs. Its focus now is the person caring for someone with dementia, but it plans to expand to those caring for people with progressive physical disabilities, such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis.

Current affairs - Caregivers who want to keep up with developments in Congress and advocate for improved eldercare services can find an outlet at the Website www.caregiverscount.com. Its founder is Bob Blancato, who was a key organizer of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging.

Video advice - New caregivers who need advice can find it summarized in an 18-minute video produced by the Suncoast Gerontology Center, at the University of South Florida. The tape, "Alzheimer's Disease: What Caregivers Need to Know," is a distillation of a caregivers seminar offered periodically by the gerontology center. It costs $29.95. For more information, call (813) 974-4355 or go to www.med.usf.edu/suncoast/alzheimer.

Ultimate guide - From assessing adult day care to picking a nursing home, every crucial long-term care issue is covered in Consumer Reports Complete Guide to Health Service for Seniors. (Three Rivers Press, $19.95.) Among the 568 pages are worksheets, charts and tables to help old Among the 568 pages are worksheets, charts and tables to help older people and the caregivers make the best health care decisions.