There are a lot of Marys in Mary Jane McGill's extended family, so each one gets a special name. Mary who lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts, is "Mary Rozy." Mary from Everett, Massachusetts, is called "Mary Everett." And McGill? She's "Mary Google."
"I use it for everything," McGill says of the search engine. "My family kids me about it."
One day last week, McGill used Google in a way even she never dreamed of: to find care for her mother, who has Alzheimer's disease and suddenly needed someone living at her house 24/7. Her search quickly turned up a number of the many resources that can help you connect with in-home help for a parent who's aging, ill or both. And this week, Empowered Patient will save you some searching time.
Up until last month, McGill's father, Tom Nee, had been taking care of his wife, but then he died of cancer.
"He died sooner than we expected, and we were in a complete state of panic about who would take care of Mom," McGill says. "She can't be left alone. It would be like leaving a toddler alone. But we don't want her in a nursing home, either." 
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Elizabeth Cohen is a correspondent with CNN Medical News. Senior producer Jennifer Pifer and associate producer Georgiann Caruso contributed to this report.
