Helping Florida Serve the Geriatric Care needs of its Senior Citizens

Florida has many great resources for senior care and aging assistance. Over the last century elderly people have been migrating to Florida for its warm weather and healthy senior environment. Many times they are geographically separated from loved ones but wish to stay in Florida, but need some eldercare support to do so. Here at Aging Wisely we hope to continue in this long tradition of serving our nation’s elderly parents, relatives and loved ones.

Below you’ll find a list of links and senior care resources we believe important to not only helping Florida seniors care for themselves but also nationwide and international citizens looking to make Florida their home and families at a distance concerned about elderly loved ones living in Florida. Use the following links and informational resources to help guide you through your research and do not hesitate to contact Aging Wisely for more guidance and recommendations for your caregiving situation.

Below you can find resources dealing with Alzheimer’s, Florida Caregivers, Geriatric Care Management, Florida Prescription Drug Information, along with Housing and Legal Issues. If you have any questions about Medicare and Medicaid in Florida please feel free to contact us.

It’s our pleasure here at Aging Wisely to provide you with the best information we can concerning senior care in Florida. If you are in need of any further information on Florida or any of its health care services including geriatric care management please call us at 727-447-5845.

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

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ELDER CARE/SENIOR ISSUES

http://www.easylivingfl.com – EasyLiving, Inc. provides home health care and senior home care services in Pinellas County, Florida.

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.healthfinder.gov – A guide to reliable health information

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

http://www.assistedlivinginfo.com – Online guide for selecting an ALF, retirement community or other personal care facility

http://www.seniorhousing.net – National directory of retirement homes, assisted living facilities, senior citizen apartments, nursing homes and more

http://facilitylocator.floridahealthstat.com List of Florida licensed facilities and providers (assisted living, adult family care homes, rehabilitation centers)

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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

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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.

For more information about how you and your family can prepare for eldercare: