Trusted Care Navigators in Joliet, IL

A care navigator helps families identify the support they need — grief counseling, legal help, financial guidance, home services — and coordinates referrals and appointments. They're particularly valuable when a family doesn't know where to start or has multiple overlapping needs to manage at once.

Care navigators are especially helpful for families managing a death alongside other caregiving demands, those with limited local support networks, or anyone navigating a healthcare system transition — such as a surviving spouse moving from a hospital or nursing facility back home.

Many care navigators are trained social workers, but not all. Social workers are licensed clinical professionals; care navigators may come from social work, nursing, or community health backgrounds. The focus for both is coordination and resource connection, not clinical treatment.

Some care navigators work within hospital or hospice systems at no additional cost to the family. Independent care navigators typically charge hourly or flat-rate fees. Most listed on Autumn offer a free consultation to assess your situation before any cost is incurred.

After-death advisors focus on the practical administrative tasks that follow a death — documents, notifications, estate coordination. Care navigators focus on connecting families with the right professionals and services across the full care ecosystem. Many families benefit from both.