Senior Care Topics and Aging Assistance

resoutcesFlorida offers many great resources that address senior care and aging assistance. Over the last century people who have retired from other states have been migrating to Florida for its warm weather as well as its healthy and active senior environment. Many times these seniors are geographically separated from loved ones but wish to stay in Florida as they age and need some support to do so. Here at Althafer Senior Placement and Referral Service we strive to accomodate the decision to stay in Volusia County by offering eldercare assistance when challenges come.

Below you’ll find a list of senior care resources we believe important. This information will help families who have questions about assistance and issues facing their elderly loved ones living in Volusia County. Please do not hesitate to contact Althafer Senior Placement and Referral Service for more guidance and recommendations for your caregiving situation.

ALTHAFER SENIOR PLACEMENT AND REFERRAL SERVICES

Below you will find resources dealing with a wide variety of topics. Alzheimer’s, Florida Caregivers, Geriatric Care Management, Florida Prescription Drug Information, Medicare and Medicaid as well as Legal and Health Issues are among those listed.

ALZHEIMER’S

http://www.alz.org – Alzheimer’s Association

http://www.alzheimers.org – Alzheimer’s Disease Education & Referral Center – information about Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders

CAREGIVERS

http://www.caregiving.com – Solutions to caregiving situations, managing stress and making decisions

http://www.caregiver.org – Family Caregiver Alliance, a non-profit organization for family caregivers and the professionals with whom they work (provides research, education, awareness, advocacy)

http://www.caps4caregivers.org – Children of Aging Parents – non-profit, charitable organization for information, referrals and support

http://www.parentgiving.com – Information & Resources for Caregivers

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CARE MANAGEMENT

http://www.caremanager.org – National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers

http://www.fgcma.org – Florida Geriatric Care Managers Association

DRUG INFORMATION

http://www.needymeds.com -This website offers comprehensive information on patient assistance programs and prescription drug information.

www.medicare.gov – Medicare’s official site, including “Plan Finder/Compare” for the Medicare D program.

http://www.mypillbox.org – Allows you to make weekly medicine schedules, including pictures of medicines

http://medi-smart.com/pharm.html – Online PDR (drug information)

http://www.ismp.org/ – Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a nonprofit organization educating professionals and consumers on safe medication practices

http://www.drugdigest.org – Consumer health and drug information

http://www.fda.gov/medwatch – FDA safety information and adverse event reporting program

Florida Prescription Drug Pirces – A program run by the Florida Attorney General and Agency for Healthcare Administration to allow consumers to compare prescription drug prices in the state of Florida.

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ELDER CARE/SENIOR ISSUES

http://www.eldercare.gov – The Eldercare Locator – a nationwide toll-free service to help older adults and their caregivers find local services for seniors

http://www.ec-online.net – Online community for elder caregivers

http://www.benefitscheckup.org – Helps find programs for seniors that may pay for some of their costs of prescription drugs, health care, utilities and other essential items or services

http://www.aoa.gov – Administration on Aging, created by the Older Americans Act

http://www.agingcare.com – AgingCare.com is an online community that connects people caring for elderly parents to other caregivers, personalized information and local resources.

http://www.eldercarematters.com – This is your online source for some of America’s top elder care experts who can help you plan for and deal with your family’s issues of aging.

http://www.myseniorportal.com – My Senior Portal – for information, articles and resources on senior issues & eldercare.

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HEALTH ISSUES

http://www.nih.gov – National Institute of Health

http://www.caringinfo.org – Caring Connections from the National Hospice Foundation, information on end of life care and downloadable state-specific advance directives.

http://www.HealthandAge.com – Information and websites on health issues for older adults

http://www.familydoctor.org – American Academy of Family Physicians’ patient information site, search for useful articles/topics related to seniors and family health

http://www.fdhc.state.fl.us – FL Health & Human Services: Agency for Health Care Administration (includes nursing home guide, health care facility locator, managed care information, and more)

http://www.apdaparkinson.org – American Parkinson’s Disease Association. Information and Referral Center-West Coast of Florida can be contacted at 727-328-6246.

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HOUSING

http://www.aahsa.org – American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging

Florida Health Finder-Facility Locator – A listing of all regulated Florida health entities such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home health agencies, managed by Florida’s Agency for Healthcare Administration.

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LEGAL ISSUES

http://www.naela.org – National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys – assists lawyers, bar organizations and others who work with older clients and their families – resource of information, education, networking and assistance

http://www.nsclc.org – National Senior Citizens Law Center – advocates nationwide to promote independence and well being of low-income elderly individuals and persons wit disabilities, with particular emphasis on women and racial and ethic minorities

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MEDICARE AND MEDICAID

http://www.medicare.gov – The official U.S. government site for Medicare information. Includes search tools for helpful contacts, Medicare personal plan finders, nursing home comparisons and frequently asked questions

http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/ – Center for Medicare Advocacy

http://www.cms.hhs.gov – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – information for consumers and professional regarding Medicare and Medicaid

Florida Health Finder’s Medicaid information – Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration’s portal for Florida Medicaid information and key contacts.

Medicare Under 65 – Overview of information and resources for people under age 65 who may qualify for Medicare coverage, such as those with disabilities.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES

http://www.aarp.com

http://www.va.gov – Department of Veteran’s Affairs

http://www.ssa.gov – Social Security Administration and Social Security Online

http://www.elderabusecenter.org – National Center on Elder Abuse

http://www.myflorida.com – The state of Florida’s official web portal, with a wide variety of information and links on government services. Go to “Floridian” and search “Elder and Retirement” for information on topics of importance to seniors and links to the nursing home guide and more.

http://www.aging-parents-and-elder- care.com/Pages/Checklists/Assisted_Living_Chklst.html – This is a valuable cheklist when choosing a senior placement facility. It is loaded with pertinent questions that may need to be answered when trying to choose the most appropriate facility.

http://www.eldercarerights.org/QuestionsToAskAssistedLiving.pdf – This is a handy checklist you can take with you as you tour various senior placement facilities (ALFs). It is not as comprehensive as the previous link, but may be more user friendly.

http://www.drugwatch.com/ – Drugwatch helps people who were injured by dangerous drugs and medical devices.