Not every assisted living home can give insulin shots, and some charge extra for it. What families wish they’d known sooner.

Planning for care when diabetes is in the picture.

The free guide families wish they’d had sooner.

For a lot of families, the care talk starts on the hardest day, in a hospital hallway or after a call from a care home. By then, the choices are fewer and the bills come fast. When diabetes is part of the picture, there are a few extra things to know, and some families only learn them when it is already happening.

This guide is for people 50 to 70 and for the spouses and grown children who love them. It is written in plain words, with care, so you can plan calmly and together.

• What care really costs today, by type, with the latest national figures and where they come from
• The insulin question to ask any assisted living home before you sign
• What Medicare does and does not pay for, and how Medicaid really works
• 6 ways families plan for care, with honest upsides and downsides, and which may still be open when diabetes is in the picture
• A “what to ask” checklist, and a page to help your family start the conversation