I do believe all counties in the US have an office/department designated to help the elderly with info and direction on a variety of topics. In my home county it is part of the county government and named the Aging and Disability Resource Center. I know other places call it the Area Agency on Aging.

Also, in my area, there are some church groups that offer no cost, volunteer home repairs for the low income elderly in the area. That may be an avenue of investigation for you, too.

Also, i found reliable workers for small home maintenance jobs through her church and the church youth group. They did charge for their work, but the cost was a lot lower than most maintenance people. The youth group members did the work to earn money for their projects. Mainly they did yard work. They were responsible. Their adult adviser(s) supervised their work.

Generally, things like kitchen and bath upgrades, and energy conservation items, like high efficiency heating and cooling, and energy efficient windows have the greatest impact on home value. How much all depends on the real estate market in your area. I suggest you work with some real estate appraisers in your area and see what they suggest. You can also look at some homes for sale in your area. See what they have compared to yours, and what they are asking for the house. Don’t jump into a several thousand dollar renovation.