Long Term Care Options Counseling
Trained Senior LinkAge Line® staff and volunteers will help you:
- Medicare
- Prescription Drug Expense assistance for Minnesotans of all ages
- Health Insurance Counseling
- Forms assistance, including help applying for Medical Assistance and Medicare Options
- Long-term Care Insurance, including the Long-term Care Partnership
- Long-term Care Planning Options
- Caregiver planning and support
Contact the The Senior LinkAge Line® 1.800.333.2433 for more information.
The Senior LinkAge Line® is a program of the Minnesota Board on Aging and the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging®, Inc.
Caregiver Support
Are you providing unpaid assistance to a spouse, relative, or friend who is ill, disabled, or needs help with basic activities of daily living?
Do you help with rides to the doctor, shopping, meals, bill paying, bathing, grooming, dressing, walking or transferring to a wheelchair, housekeeping, managing medications, or arranging services to be provided by others? If you provide services like these, whether or not you live with the person you are helping, you are a caregiver.
Caregiving is important work and it can be rewarding, but it can also be overwhelming. You are not alone. An estimated 679,000 Minnesotans are caregiving for an older or disabled adult. Don’t struggle alone with your caregiving responsibilities. More help is available than you may realize. Discover the many resources available in your area by visiting http://www.minnesotahelp.info/® or calling the Senior LinkAge Line®: A One Stop Shop for Minnesota Seniors, at 1-800-333-2433.
There are many options to help today’s older adults age well and live well.
The Long-term Care Choices Navigator is a step-by-step tool that will:
- help you figure out what you need to live well and age well,
- guide you to resources in your community, and
- create a plan for you.
Whether you are making plans for yourself, your parent or spouse, or a friend, Long-term Care Choices Navigator can help you http://longtermcarechoices.minnesotahelp.info/
Find additional resources for caregivers at http://www.mnaging.org/advisor/caregiver.htm
Live Well at Home
Most older adults prefer to live in their own homes and are doing so successfully. Find out how you can continue to Live Well at Home. Here are the key steps to get you started.
Step 1 – Learn about things that might make it difficult for older adults to stay living at home. These are called risks. Complete the short quiz to find out if you have any areas that can be improved.
Step 2 – Learn ways to deal with your risks.
Step 3 – Take Action! Pick one or more ideas to address your risks so you can continue to live well at home.
Use this website to learn more about falls prevention, staying healthy, chronic disease self-management programs, memory care, and support for family and friends and so much more.
http://www.mnlivewellathome.org/en.aspx
Veteran Directed Home and Community Based Services
The Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Care program is a collaborative partnership between the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging®, Inc. and the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System. The program provides services to Veterans to help them remain in their home or the home of a loved one, with the support of paid caregivers and purchased services such as chore services, respite care and personal care.
Working with the Sioux Falls Health Care System’s Community Health Nurse and a Case manager with the Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging, the Veteran develops a plan to meet their care needs. The Veteran decides what goods and services are needed for them to live independently.
The program is self-directed, which allows the Veteran to manage the care services with the help of a care consultant and financial management provider. It is built on the premise that the individual receiving care has the right and ability to assess and determine how and by whom they receive care.
There are a number of advantages to self-directed care. You can hire a family member or someone who lives nearby to provide your care. If you already have someone who helps with your care and whom you trust, you can employ that individual as your caregiver or continue to use the same agency. You can also determine what services you want from a broader list of services that are available.
- Veterans must be enrolled in the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System http://www.siouxfalls.va.gov/
- Veterans must be at risk of nursing home placement
- Veterans must live in one of the 11 counties served by the Sioux Falls VA Medical System. Counties served by the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System include Cottonwood, Jackson, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Yellow Medicine, Rock.
For additional information on benefits for Veterans in Minnesota check out the web site http://www.mdva.state.mn.us/ or view the brochure.
South West EDP (ElderCare Development Partnership)
A group of 16 counties working together for the development of community-based resources for a growing older adult population. Counties include: Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Renville, Rock, Sibley, Swift, Waseca, Watonwan, Yellow Medicine.
We hope the following information will be helpful for your understanding of and participation in EDP.
WHAT is the South West ElderCare Development Partnership?
The ElderCare Development Partnership (EDP) is a 20-year strategy adopted by Minnesota in 1990 to prepare the state’s long term care system to deal with the needs of a growing older population. Very large increases in the 85+ population are forecast for the next 30-50 years, and the long term care needs of this group will challenge the systems that support them.
HOW did it originally get started?
In 1991 the legislature adopted legislation to implement, what was originally named, the SAIL (Seniors Agenda for Independent Living) strategy. It included funding for multi-county projects to expand the range and accessibility to long term care services at the local level and a media campaign to increase seniors’ acceptance and use of private businesses to meet their long term care needs.
In 1992 six multi-county pilot projects were selected (through a competitive grant application process) to test the effectiveness of these strategies to strengthen the local community-based system of services, diverting minimally impaired persons from nursing homes, and increasing the availability of supportive housing and long term care services in their local area. For the next five years, these six projects were funded to carry out the SAIL mission in their local areas.
In 1996 a strategic planning process was initiated to evaluate SAIL’s accomplishments, determine lessons learned and plan for the next phase of SAIL. 1992 and 2005, the local EDP project expanded from five counties to sixteen counties.
SOUTH WEST EDP MISSION STATEMENT
“To be a catalyst to motivate the community and maximize resources that promote individual choice, responsibility and dignity for older adults.”
HOW is the project structured?
The Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging®, Inc. Board contracts with the:
Region Nine Development Commission
Southwest Regional Development Commission
Mid-Minnesota Regional Development Commission
WHO else is involved with the project?
A Long Term Care Coordinating Team that includes representatives of:
*county social services
*public health nursing
*area agencies on aging
*local board of health
*nursing home providers
*home health care
WHAT are the project goals?
- Coordinate an integrated approach to telehealth services for home and community based services, including pharmacy and mental health options by increased collaboration among providers of telehealth services.
- Demostrate enhanced coordination of care and expanded service options between formal and informal service providers.
- Implement improved protocols for care coordiantion, healthy living choices, prevention protocols and awareness of chronic disease management in coordination with managed care organizations, counties, and home care agencies .
WHERE do I call for further information?
Minnesota River Area Agency on Aging®, Inc., 1.800.450.5643 ext.860