Increasingly, as our society ages, family members and friends find themselves providing care and assistance to older adults. In response to this, your Council for Older Adults of Delaware County, has expanded services available to you in efforts to assist you while caring for your loved ones. Our Elder and Caregiver Resource Center has free materials such as brochures and newsletters. We also have items for loan such as books, magazines, and videos which are specifically designed for older adults and caregivers. We also have a computer for on line research. Please call to reserve the computer in advance. We also have caring staff available to you to ask questions and to assist you in locating other resources. So please call us at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255 or send an email to info@growingolder.org. Reading Materials (pdf)

Check out our quarterly Caregiver Newsletter!

Caregiver Workshops
The Council for Older Adults offers free caregiver workshops, which are held on the second
Tuesday of each month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (unless otherwise noted). Workshops are held at
the Center for Older Adults, 800 Cheshire Road, Delaware. Please feel free to bring a friend!

January 10: “Rules of the Road for Caregivers,” presented by Pat Carpenter, author of The Caregiver’s Road Map: Saving Your Time, Money, and Your Sanity.

February 14: “Understanding Dementia and Memory Impairment: The Science Behind Brain Health,” presented by the Alzheimer’s Association.

March 13: “Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in Dementia,” presented by the Alzheimer’s Association.

April 10: “Detecting Fraud: How to Protect Yourself from the Big Bad Wolf,” presented by Cornelius McGrady with the Attorney General’s office.

May 8: “Empower Yourself: A Caregiver’s Guide to Choosing a Nursing Facility,” presented by Council for Older Adults and Willow Brook Christian Communities.

To register, please RSVP to Intake & Referral Specialist Jen Spicer at (740) 203-2377. Workshops are free and are held at the Center for Older Adults, 800 Cheshire Rd., in Delaware.

Download the complete 2012 caregiver workshop schedule now!

 

 

Durable Medical Equipment
Many kinds of adaptive equipment exist to assist individuals in maintaining independence for mobility and other daily needs. Individuals living in Delaware County are eligible for Durable Medical Equipment, depending on availability. To borrow any equipment, please contact the Council at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255, or email to info@growingolder.org

Income Tax Assistance
In February AARP Tax-Aide Coordinators John Heinz and Phil Packard and several IRS trained tax counselors will start preparing taxes for seniors. AARP's TAX AIDE is a free annual program, brought to you by your local AARP chapter and Council for Older Adults. The program makes tax assistance available to older adults in Delaware County.

Local AARP volunteers have successfully completed a rigorous training program, which is offered in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Service. All volunteer counselors have been specifically trained to prepare returns for older persons.

There are four tax preparation locations this year:

Center for Older Adults, 800 Cheshire Rd. in Delaware - Wednesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sunbury Library, 44 Burrer Dr. in Sunbury - Tuesdays 11:00 a.m. - 3:
p.m.

Westerville Senior Center, 310 W. Main St. in Westerville - days and times to be determined

Dublin Community Center, 5600 Post Rd. in Dublin - days and times to be determined.

On the day of your appointment you should bring:
• your last year's tax return
• W-2's
• 1099's
• the amount that you paid in real estate taxes for 2010 even if you do not itemize
• sales tax paid and amount paid if you purchased an automobile in 2010
• and any other tax-related materials.

 

This service is provided by appointment only. After Feb. 1, please call the Council for Older Adults at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255 weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for further information or to make an appointment.

Insurance, Medical Bill Counseling and Prescription Access and Assistance
Medical bills, health insurance and prescription access issues can be very confusing especially if one is trying to deal with them while trying to cope with an illness. In response to this need, the Council for Older Adults continues to offer a free service for Delaware County seniors who may need assistance straightening out confusion with medical bills and insurance claims. While the Council does not pay medical bills, this service has routinely saved local seniors thousands of dollars by straightening out the confusion and identifying and fixing errors. You may email to info@growingolder.org to help you get to the bottom of insurance and medical bill related issues. Click here for more information or you can call the Council at (740) 363-6677 or (800)994-2255, to set up and appointment.

Legal Aid
The Council for Older Adults and the Legal Aid Society of Columbus have teamed up to expand the availability of free legal services to be offered to older adults who are residents of Delaware County. These services are provided to those adults 60 years and older, their families and/or caregivers. The following list of priority services will be offered to senior citizens: loss or denial of benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, social security, defending against guardianships, simple wills, powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, living wills, certain estates under $50,000 for surviving spouses, SSI benefits, and nursing home issues.

The Legal Aid Society's experienced staff is committed to help older adults determine eligibility and find the right attorney or paralegal to help you solve your problem. If there is a problem which is not listed, they may still have a service which can help or know of just the right program to benefit you. You may also be referred to a private attorney for representation if you are not eligible for free services. Criminal cases, fee generating cases or conflicts of interest cannot be handled through this program.

Seniors seeking advice will be asked questions to find out their age, eligibility, name, address, telephone number, and social security number. Since our tax dollars are paying for this service, the Legal Aid Society has an obligation to keep some records, however, no confidential records will be given to the government or anyone else without permission.

Attorney-client privilege prevents the Legal Aid Society from sharing your problems with others. The free clinics are held once a month at the office of the Council for Older Adults. Individuals seeking to meet privately with a legal aid society attorney can make an appointment by calling the Council for Older Adults at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255.

This free service is being made available through funding from the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging through the Older American's Act. The Council for Older Adults is the local not-for-profit organization responsible for development and coordination of services for older adults throughout Delaware County.

Life Card
Keeping your medical, pharmaceutical and insurance information up-to-date and in one place can be very important in case of an emergency. Your Council for Older Adults has made dealing with this problem easier with a program we call the LifeCard. The free LifeCard and accompanying refrigerator magnet provide a convenient solution to this problem and local emergency squads have been trained to look for the LifeCard when emergencies occur. We will provide you a free LifeCard and will remind you periodically to update your information. Our updated version of the LifeCard is now available and includes a smaller version for pocket, purse or glove compartment. For more information or to request your free LifeCard & clip, call the Council at (740)363-6677 or (800) 994-2255, or email to info@growingolder.org Or you can click here to download a copy of LifeCard.

Nutritional Supplements
The Council for Older Adults offers for purchase nutritional supplements to anyone over 60 years of age and living in Delaware County. You must have a physician's recommendation or be a SENIOR CHOICES client to receive the nutritional supplements as part of your care plan. To order, please call the Council at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255 or you can email to info@growingolder.org

Special Program Applications
In the Resource Center at the Council for Older Adults, various types of special program applications are available. Some of these are developed by various agencies in the community in efforts to assist individuals with telephone bills, heating costs, discounts on merchandise, health insurance, etc. Please know that the Council is not involved in determining eligibility for such assistance programs, although, we have collected and can help you complete these applications for your convenience.

• Division of Wildlife, Ohio Department of Natural Resources: Ohio Resident Application For Free Annual Licenses, Permits, and Stamps
• Basic Telephone Assistance
• Central Ohio Radio Reading Service
• Voter Registration Form
• Homestead Exemption Application Form, For Senior Citizens, Disabled Persons, and Surviving Spouses
• Direct Deposit Sign-up Form
• Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Application For Parking Placards For Persons With Disabilities and Organizations
• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
• Health Insurance Applications for Seniors

To obtain an application, please call the Council at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255, or you can email to info@growingolder.org

Library
The Council strives to provide you with up to date information although, we do keep available, resources which may be perceived as out of date. We encourage you to speak to your doctor, or healthcare professional regarding any medical inferences made in these materials and a legal professional regarding any legal matters to ensure that you are provided with accurate up to date information. Thank you. For more information on publications available at the resource center, please call , the Council at (740) 363-6677 or (800) 994-2255 or you can email to info@growingolder.org . Click here for a list of books and videos.