Aging & Disability

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Aging & Disability

The Area Agency on Aging & Disability was established as part of the Older Americans Act of 1965, an act to provide assistance in the development of new or improved programs to help older persons, and to establish within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and Operating agency to be designated as the Administration on Aging. The Southwest Tennessee Development District was designated by the Tennessee Commission as the Area Agency on Aging. The planning and service area encompasses Chester, Decatur, Hardin, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and McNairy.

In 2000, the Tennessee Aging Network expanded its efforts to service other adults with disabilities. Thus, the name was changed to the Area Agency on Aging & Disability (AAAD). The primary goal of the AAAD is to develop a network of services to assist residents achieve the highest possible level of independence, and works through an Advisory Council and the SWTDD Executive Committee to develop a plan of action to be implemented in its planning and service area.

The AAAD administers service coordination and assessment activities, awards annual grants to organizations providing services, sponsors activities established under the National Family Caregiver Support Program, operates a Public Guardianship Program for the elderly, administers the Nutrition Program, and organizes special activities/events in the region. The AAAD also conducts annual compliance reviews of grantee agencies and advocates at the national, state, and local levels on behalf of older adults and persons with disabilities.

Volunteers

Volunteers are a very important part of the Southwest Area Agency on Aging & Disability. Our volunteers support us in providing an array of vital services throughout our communities. The AAAD uses volunteers in the following programs: Nutrition (Home Delivered Meals) , Ombudsman (Long Term Care), Public Guardianship, National Family Caregiver Support, MyRide (Volunteer Senior Transportation), Senior Centers, and the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with any of these programs or finding out more information, please email us at aaadreferrals@swtdd.org or call us at 731-668-6967 or 1-866-836-6678.

Programs

National Family Caregiver Support Program

The Older Americans Act (OAA) Amendments of 2000 authorized the creation of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) to help many thousands of family members with the care of their older loved ones.

Caregivers can be family members or other individuals who provide unpaid care to an older person who needs supportive services. A caregiver can assist with needs such as bathing, dressing, shopping, transportation, preparing meals, medication assistance, and many other daily activities of maintaining an independent lifestyle at home.

Under the NFCSP, the AAAD provides caregivers with information and assistance, case management, education and outreach, support groups, personal care, in-home respite (short-term sitters), and homemaker services.

Information, Assistance, and Referral

For information and assistance on services provided through the Area Agency on Aging & Disability, call the statewide toll-free number at 1-866-836-6678 or in Madison County (731) 668-6967.

Ombudsman Program

The Ombudsman Program staff serves as a liaison between long-term care facilities and residents and families of residents to resolve issues surrounding resident care, resident rights, financial information and admission/discharge.

The program also includes a Volunteer Ombudsman Representative component to recruit and train volunteers to serve as advocates for long-term care facility residents.

For more information about the long term care Ombudsman for Southwest Tennessee, contact us at 1-877-236-0013.

OPTIONS for Community Living

The OPTIONS for Community Living Program administered by the AAAD is a home and community based project to provide services to older adults and other adults with disabilities who are at risk of losing their independence. The OPTIONS Program is a state funded program that includes Homemaker, Home Delivered Meals, and Personal Care Assistance.

Homemaker – Light housekeeping services that include sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting, changing linens, cleaning the bathroom and other services on a case-by-case basis.

Home-Delivered Meals – A nutritionally balanced meal one time a day five days a week.

Personal Care Assistance – Stand by or cue assistance for the individual or caregiver for personal needs such as bathing or grooming.

Information, Assistance, and Referral

For information and assistance on services provided through the Area Agency on Aging & Disability, call the State wide toll-free number at 1-866-836-6678 or in Madison County (731) 668-6967.

Senior Centers

Nine senior centers in Southwest Tennessee provide a variety of opportunities for older adults to remain as active and resourceful citizens in the community. Service and activities available at centers include such things as recreational activities, educational programs, health screenings and other health promoting activities, physical fitness activities, assistance to caregivers, outreach, telephone reassurance programs to ensure the safety of isolated older adults, and personal visitation. Activities offered vary by center. Call your local senior center for specific information.

Chester Co. Senior Center
247 East Main Street
Henderson, TN 38340
P | (731) 989-7434
F | (731) 989-5834
McNairy Co. Senior Center
408 Park Street
Adamsville, TN 38310
P | (731) 632-0302
The Town Of Scotts Hill Senior Center
96 Hwy 114 South
Scotts Hill, TN 38374
P | (731) 549-3720
Henderson County Senior Center
70 Dixon Street
Lexington TN 38351
P | (731) 968-4222
F | (731) 968-5962
Hardin County Senior Center
9380 Hwy 128
Savannah TN 38372
P | (731) 925-2210
F | (731) 925-3874
Decatur Co. Senior Center
1738 Georgia Ave. South
Parsons, TN 38363
P | (731) 847-7212
F | (731) 847-7837
Sardis Senior Center
PO Box 85
Sardis TN 38371
P | (731) 858-2633
F | (731) 858-2633
Selmer Senior Center
230 North 5th Street
Selmer TN 38375
P | (731) 645-7843
F | (731) 645-8628
Brownsville/Haywood Co. Senior Center
127 North Grand
Brownsville TN 38012
P | (731) 772-2438

Senior Citizens Law Project

Legal advice, representation and education – subject to staff availability – in these matters: food stamps, Social Security, SSI, Medicaid, TennCare, nursing home care and access, boarding home care, federally subsidized housing, utilities, age discrimination, cases involving the immediate risk of loss of housing; adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and medical collection actions threatening access to health care.

Additionally, it offers advice, education and preparation of health care power of attorney and living will documents for elderly who are homebound, institutionalized or terminally ill. Representation is available to assist persons who wish to contest or defend against conservatorship actions. Also project staff may serve as guardian-ad-litem in conservatorship actions.

For more information, contact West Tennessee Legal Services (731) 426-0616 or visit www.wtls.org.

CHOICES

What is CHOICES?

TennCare CHOICES in Long-Term Care (or "CHOICES" for short) is TennCare's program for long-term care services.  Long-term care includes help doing everyday activities that you may no longer be able to do for yourself as you grow older or – if you have a disability – help with activities like bathing, dressing, getting around your home, preparing meals, or doing household chores. Long-term care services can include care in a nursing home. Long-term care also includes care in your own home or the community that may keep you from having to go to a nursing home for as long as safely possible. These are called Home and Community Based Services or HCBS.


There are three (3) different CHOICES groups:                     

CHOICES Group 1

CHOICES Group 1 is for people of all ages who have been idenified as needing nursing home level of care.

CHOICES Group 2

CHOICES Group 2 is for adults (age 21 and older) with a physical disability and seniors (age 65 and older) who qualify to receive nursing home care, but choose to receive home care services instead.

CHOICES Group 3

CHOICES Group 3 is for adults (age 21 and older) with a disability and seniors (age 65 and older) who don't qualify for nursing home care, but need a more moderate package of home care services to delay or prevent the need for nursing home care.

To Qualify for CHOICES

To qualify for and remain in CHOICES Groups 1 & 2, you must:

  • Need the level of care provided in a nursing home, AND
  • Qualify financially for Medicaid long-term services and support

To qualify for and remain in CHOICES Group 3, you must:

  • Be "at risk" of needing the level of care provided in a nursing home inless you received home care, AND
  • Be getting SSI (supplemental Security Income) payments from the Social Security Administration

To enroll in CHOICES and receive home care services:

  • Your TennCare health plan (or Managed Care Organization) must be able to meet your needs safely at home, AND
  • If you qualify for nursing home care, the cost of your home care can't be more than the cost of the nursing home care. The cost of your home care includes any home health or private duty nursing care that you need. If you don't qualify for nursing home care, but are "at risk" of needing nursing home level of care, the cost of your CHOICES home care can't be more than $15,000 per year. That does not include the cost of any minor home modifications you may need.

 

Care Coordination and Role of the Care Coordinator

In CHOICES, you TennCare health plan (or MCO) will be responsible for managing all of your physical health, mental health, and long-term care needs, and the services that you receive to address these needs.  This is call care coordination.

These functions are carried out by a Care Coordinator. Your Care Coordinator will play a very important role. Your Care Coordinator is your primary contact person and is the first person that you should go to if you have any questions about your services.

After you're enrolled in CHOICES, your MCO will tell you who your care coordinator is and how to reach them.


 Federal Estate Recovery Program

Medicaid, including CHOICES, is a government program.  CHOICES pays for long-term care for people who don't have enough income and/or resources (things they own) to be able to pay for all of that care themselves.

To help the federal government pay for long-term care services, every state is required by federal law to have a Medicaid Estate Recovery Program.

An estate is property, such as money, a house, land, cars, or other things of value that a person leaves to family members or others when he or she dies.

Estate recovery applies to:

Persons of any age who receive nursing facility services.
Persons age 55 and older who receive long-term care services-nursing home services or home care (HCBS) as an alternative to nursing home care.

If a person in one of these groups receives Medicaid long-term care services, the State of Tennessee must ask for money back from that person's estate after he or she dies to help pay for certain kinds of care he or she received.  The money that is collected goes back to TennCare to help pay for long-term care services for others who need it.

In some cases, the State may wait to recover from the estate because someone else is living in the home, such as:

  • A surviving spouse.
  • A minor child.
  • A child of any age who has been blind or permanently and totally disabled since before age 18.

If the value of the estate or the cost of long-term care provided is very small, the State may not pursue recovery.

There are limited circumstances in which a hardship waiver may be requested and granted (for example, a family farm) where the property is the sole source of income for surviving relatives.

The State will never ask for more money back than it paid for services.  AND, estate recovery does not occur until after the person's death. 

 

For more information, please call toll-free at 1-866-836-6678 or locally at (731) 668-6967.

Single Point of Entry (SPOE)

What is SPOE?

The AAAD serves as a Single Point of Entry (SPOE) for persons needing information on long-term care programs or services for the elderly and adults with physical disabilities.  The purpose of the SPOE is to facilitate seamless access to the broad array of long-term care programs and services available to Tennesseans who need them, including programs for persons who do not qualify for Medicaid. The SPOE serves as a "one-stop shop" for all aging and disability services. To access these services, call toll free 1-866-836-6678 or locally, (731) 668-6967.

Case Management

A Case Manager will visit regularly to ensure the services that needed are being provided. Case Management Services are available under the following programs – Older Americans Act, Options, National Family Caregiver Support Program, and the CHOICES Program.

Toll Free 1-866-836-6678 or (731) 668-6967.

Home Delivered Meals Service

The Home Delivered Meals Service provides one healthy meal per day delivered to the consumer’s home. Home Delivered Meals are available under the following programs – Older Americans Act, Options, and CHOICES.

Certain Qualifications Must Be Met To Participate.

Toll Free 1-866-836-6678 or (731) 668-6967.

Homemaker Services

The program provides routine light housekeeping. The Older Americans Act, Options Program, National Family Caregiver Support Program and the CHOICES Program, offer Homemaker services.

Certain Qualifications Must Be Met To Participate.

Toll Free 1-866-836-6678 or (731) 668-6967.

In-Home Respite Services

In-Home Respite Services by providing someone to stay with the care recipient so the caregiver can get some rest. In-Home Respite is provided under the National Family Caregiver Support Program.

Toll Free 1-866-836-6678 or (731) 668-6967.

Personal Care Services

Personal Care Services provide help with activities of daily living. Personal Care is available on the Options Program, National Family Caregiver Support Program and the CHOICES Program.

Toll Free 1-866-836-6678 or (731) 668-6967.

Public Guardianship for the Elderly

The Public Guardianship for the Elderly program is designed to assist persons who are no longer able to make healthcare and/or financial decisions for themselves.  Clients must be at least 60 years of age or older.  The Public District Public Conservator can be appointed by the court to serve as conservator of person and/or property for persons who have no one else willing or able to make decisions on their behalf.  The Public Guardianship Program may also serve as power of attorney for persons if needed.  An application is required for the program.  For more information on the program or for an application, please call Toll Free 1-866-836-6678 or (731) 668-6967.

MyRide West Tennessee

MyRide West Tennessee is a volunteer senior transportation service providing transportation assistance for Senior Citizens age 60+.  We provide door-THROUGH-door transportation for doctor appointments, grocery shopping, beauty/barber shop appointments and other social gatherings.  We provide assistance for seniors who are able to walk on their own or with assistance of a walker or cane.  There is a yearly membership fee of $25, which includes the first 3 rides.  After that each trip is $2 per trip.  MyRide West TN strives to meet the five A’s of Senior-Friendly Transportation: Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, Affordability and Adaptability.  The key feature of MyRide West Tennessee and the reason for its sustainability is our volunteer drivers.  Please contact the MyRide West Tennessee offices at 1-844-803-0169 for more information or to become a volunteer.  We do not wish to take the place of already existing transportation services, we just want to provide another,  more personalized, option for seniors who would prefer one-on-one transportation. For more info, please contact us at 1-844-803-0169.

State Health Insurance Assistance Program

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) provides free and objective one-to-one counseling and education to individuals and groups in regards to Medicare and other related insurances. The SHIP program assists Medicare beneficiaries in comparing and enrolling in Medicare Prescription Drug Plans and answers general questions about original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Through the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), SHIP also receives funding to assist beneficiaries with applying for Medicare Savings Programs and the Low Income Subsidy (Extra Help). Another program that is operated through SHIP is SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol). Through grants, SMP empowers and assists Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling and education.

The SHIP program provides assistance to thousands of seniors that saves them money each year. To learn more about the SHIP/SMP programs, to become a volunteer or for assistance, contact 1-877-801-0044 to get connected with local SHIP counselors.

Partners