From the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging…
Getting older is a fact of life. But how and where you do it is not. There are a variety of aging services available to you or your loved one to help them stay at home, meet new people, take part in activities and most important, live an enriching and fulfilling life.
This article covers many of these services. The brief descriptions accompanying each category can help you figure out what's right for you or your loved one. Keep in mind that planning and saving are two critical parts of helping an older adult receive the services they need, when they need them, in a place they can call home.
Like most people, you probably want to stay in your home for as long as possible. But you may also need help and support to stay there. That's where Home and Community-based services (HCBS) can help you. HCBS providers can offer everything from help with the chores to health care services, or even just someone to call and check in on you. Also, if you are taking care of a family member or friend, these services can give you the help and support that you need as well.
While there are many different services available, not every community has them. Check with your local area agency on aging for what services are in your area. Some of these services include:
- Adult Day Care: Provides a variety of health, social and related support services in a safe setting during the day. Some day care programs are designed especially for people with Alzheimer's disease.
http://www.state.nj.us/health/senior/index.shtml (this site provides a variety of resources and useful information for managing aging issues at home)
- Care Managers: Helps people figure out what services are needed and what services. Together, managers and their clients come up with a care plan that best fits an individual's lifestyle and arranges the services.
- Congregate Meal Programs: Offer free or low-cost meals in group settings (often in a senior center or senior housing).
http://www.mealcall.org/meals-on-wheels/nj/index.htm (MealCall.org is an organization that provides comprehensive national information about where both Meal-On-Wheels and senior congregate dining services are available. This link will take you to New Jersey information)
- Financial Counseling Programs: Help an individual balance a checkbook, file taxes and pay bills. They also help with Medicaid, Medicare or other insurance forms.
- Friendly Visiting: Provides volunteers who will come to visit and talk in a person's home.
- Home Health Care Services: Includes part-time nursing services, personal care, help with chores, medical supplies or equipment and different kinds of therapies (physical, occupational, and speech) to help a person recover from an illness or surgery.
- Homemaker or Chore Services: Helps with different chores around the house, such as cleaning, preparing meals or doing laundry. They also help with harder tasks such as washing floors, windows and walls and shoveling snow.
- Hospice Care: Provides comfort, nursing care and other services, such as grief counseling, to people who are dying (and their families). Hospice care is provided in your home, in a nursing facility or in a free-standing hospice.
http://www.njhospice.org/index.cfm (the New Jersey Hospice and Pallative Care Organization provides many resources, including a list of all Hospice service providers, by county, in the state).
- Home-Delivered Meals: Bring meals in to individuals if they cannot prepare them on their own.
http://www.mealcall.org/meals-on-wheels/nj/index.htm (MealCall.org is an organization that provides comprehensive national information about where both Meal-On-Wheels and senior congregate dining services are available. This link will take you to New Jersey information)
- Information and Assistance Services: Offer information about services and resources in the area.
- Personal Care Services: Provide help with things like bathing and dressing.
- Respite Care: Gives families a break from caring for older people who are unable to care for themselves. Respite care can take place in the older person's or caregiver's home.
- Rehabilitation services: Offer different kinds of therapies (physical, occupational, and speech) to help a person recover from an illness or surgery.
- Senior Centers: Provide a place where people can come together for social and recreational activities. A list of these centers in New Jersey can be found at:
http://www.state.nj.us/caregivernj/search/index.shtml (This website from New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services provides a tool to find senior centers and other services in your area)
- Telephone Reassurance: Provides a daily call and check on someone on a regular basis.
- Transportation Services: Helps people get to and from shopping centers, doctor's appointments, senior centers and other places. Each county in New Jersey administers a separate program for individual, special-need transportation services. Please contact your County Area Agency on Aging to discover what is currently available for you. We recommend the New Jersey Foundation website for quick and reliable access:
http://www.njfoundationforaging.org/services.html (The New Jersey Foundation on Aging will direct you to the county office where transportation is organized for your area. It is best to phone them for this information, as it is difficult to obtain on the web as of 2007)
http://www.njtransit.com/sf
(this site from New Jersey Transit provides information on senior
discounts and available services)
New Jersey benefits from a network of Area Agencies on Aging throughout the state. Theses Agencies provide information and programs for county residents related to most of the home care subjects described above. The following websites relate to each county in the state. If you want to know your county, please type in your zip code and the name of your county of residence will appear:
http://www.nj.gov/health
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