Marriage and Divorce Resources

 

Alternatives to Marriage Project (ATMP)
Provides resources, advocacy, and support for people who are unmarried, cohabit, are domestic partners, living together, or thinking about whether to marry.

The Divorce Center
Volunteer-organization offering emotional and legal support to families experiencing divorce. Site features seminars and other resources to overcome difficult experiences.

MedlinePlus: Domestic Violence
Services and providers relating to domestic violence in the U.S.

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
This is a grassroots nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to end domestic violence in the lives of women and children in the United States.

Stop Family Violence
This is a national grassroots organization with a mission to organize and advocate for a collective voice against domestic violence.

TherapistFinder.com
This is California’s online resource for consumers searching for a marriage and family therapist; it offers more than 7,500 licensed practitioners through its locator tool.

Dating Resources*

 

Dating Sites Reviews
Explore which online dating site is best for you. This site lists dozens of online dating sites by categories (general, ethnic, age, etc.), and allows visitors to add their reviews and comments.

Lunch Dating
Everyone needs to eat lunch; others want to date but don't have time. This site combines those two basic desires at the same time.

Online and Internet Dating Services and Sites
This general website is an online dating directory. It offers reviews and advice about hundreds of free internet dating services, personals and singles sites.

Speed Dating
In this controlled and organized "event" dating, each participant joins in a fast round of a few minutes per “date” with as many as 25 partners per session. The event takes place quite often in a restaurant.

Table for Six

This nationally franchised kind of dating offers a wide spectrum of singles events, dating and matchmaking services. It is usually associated with executives and management-level members.

Top Dating Tips
There are a variety of dating websites available to both general and specialist groups. Popular dating agencies include Match.com, Yahoo Personals and eHarmony.

*SmartNow does not endorse any particular dating site; this is a resource list only.

 

Grief Resources

Otrib.com

Otrib is a free, funeral planning and memorial site dedicated to helping consumers manage end-of-life events.

Administration on Aging
The “Elders and Families” section of the Administration on Aging website is designed to assist older persons and their caregivers to quickly obtain information and resources on a variety of aging-related topics. These include Alzheimer’s, disaster assistance, elder rights, how to find help, housing, nurtirion, healthful lifestyles, volunteer opportunities and more.

AgelessDesign
Features The Alzheimer’s Store, Alzheimer’s Daily News, Alzheimer’s Library, and a host of articles and products including the latest assistive devices and research.

Bet Tzedek
Providing legal advice and representation for low-income seniors in Los Angeles, focusing on prevention of elder abuse. Also offering online guides for caregives who need information about long-term care facilities.

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform
This advocacy group is a pioneer in helping families find good long-term care facilities, and taking care of complaints. They offer a nursing home guide, long-term care advocacy information, lawyer referral service, MediCal estate planning and reverse mortgage alert.

CareGiving.com
Offers access to support, information and resources to help with caring for an aging loved one.

Caring.com
Features experts who will answer your questions about caring for your aging parents. Searches to help you find long-term care facilities and geriatric care managers. Group discussions around Alzheimer’s and cancer support, and health information. Covers housing, finances, legal, lifestyle, daily care and buying guide.

Eldercare Locator
Local information, referral resources, and contact information for state and local agencies, from the United States' Health and Human Services Department.

Eldercare Online
Information and support for caregivers to the elderly with alzheimer's disease. One of the Internet’s longest-thriving communities.

Empowering Caregivers
A rich site for all caregivers focused on providing practical emotional and spiritual support with tools for self-empowerment. Articles by experts, thriving community.

Family Caregiver Alliance
A clearinghouse on brain disorders, caregiver assistance and long-term care public policy.

Family Caregiving 101

If you're caring for another person who is ill or disabled, this site will help you to find assistance. Articles and quizzes on where to start, how to manage, stages of caregiving, message board, public policy and more.

National Alliance for Caregiving
Support for family caregivers and the professionals who help them. Studies and research with valuable statistics.

Medicare
Medicare.gov is a consumer website that provides access to information about Medicare, Medicare health plans, contact information and FAQs. It offers a long-term care planning tool, government programs, nursing home compare capability, prescription drug plan and more.

National Family Caregivers
Caregiving advocacy organization with tips and statistics on caregiving in America.

Adoption and Rescue Agencies

American Kennel Club - Breed Rescue
Information and referral for purebred rescue. The AKC has multiple services, including DOGNY: America's Tribute to Search and Rescue Dogs.

People around the world were touched by the loyalty and resolve of the Search and Rescue Dogs who worked tirelessly to recover victims of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. In a continuing commemoration of the heroism of those SAR teams, the AKC established The American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery Corporation Canine Support and Relief Fund, a charitable fund to support professional and volunteer canine search and rescue organizations throughout the United States.

Animal Rescue Center
Protects exotic animals. Peace River Refuge and Ranch is a nonprofit animal sanctuary dedicated to the lifetime care of abused, neglcted, confiscated or unwanted animals. This is a permanent home for animals ranging from big cats to bears, primates, bats and more.

Best Friends Animal Society: A better world through kindness to animals:
For more than two decades, Best Friends Animal Society has been dedicated to the simple philosophy that kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us.

The sanctuary at Angel Canyon, at the heart of the Golden Circle of national parks in southern Utah, is home on any given day to about 2,000 dogs, cats, and other animals, who come from shelters and rescue groups around the country for the special care they can only receive at Best Friends. The sanctuary is also a destination for 30,000 visitors and volunteers each year.

Humane Society of the United States
This is the oldest and largest adoption and service organization in the U.S. Its mission is to celebrate animals and confront cruelty, exploitation and neglect. They also extoll the human-animal bond.

MEOW Cat Rescue Organization
MEOW promotes lifelong relationships between people and companion animals, providing shelter and care. With respect and compassion for all animal life, MEOW's goal is to help create a "no-kill nation," where people are responsible for their pets and  there is no longer a need for any healthy companion animal to be euthanized.

Petfinder.com
This website has a database - a temporary home – of about 300,000 adoptable pets from more than 11,000 adoption groups; searchable by state.

Pet Guardian Angels of America
This group is all about animal rescue and adoption assistance. It features national listings of pet rescue and adoption organizations, shelters and agencies, and adoption and rescue assistance.

Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California areas. ARF saves dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters. It strives to help create a world where every loving dog and cat has a home, where every lonely person has a companion animal, and where children learn to care.

Behavior and Therapy Resources

Cesar Millan Center
This is the dog psychology center featuring TV's famous Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan. It offers products and community building, tips and other features to help you train your dog to behave better. As well as yourself.

Dog-Play
Animal-assisted therapy means taking pets, especially dogs, to visit people in health care facilities; therapy includes mental and physical stimulation.

Guide Dogs for the Blind
This program partners blind and visually impaired people with trained dogs, who become their wonderful companions and "eyes."

Pet Therapy
The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent years for a wide variety of patients. Called "animal-assisted therapy," staff and animals (dogs, gophers, birds, and more) visit nursing homes, AIDS patients and others to reach out with touch and love.

Therapet Animal Assisted Therapy Foundation
This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating the use of animals in healing and rehabilitation of acute and chronically ill people. They are brought to the people who are often lonely and isolated, offering unconditional love.