Long-term Services & Supports Planning

Stay Safe and Independent

The unexpected can happen at any time. Life may be going along fine and the next thing you know, you’re in an ambulance being taken to the hospital because you’ve been told you just had a stroke. Or maybe your loved one just received a diagnosis of dementia, but you work full time and worry about their safety while you’re not home. Or maybe you had cataracts removed to improve your vision, but later in life you were diagnosed with glaucoma and are now legally blind.

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I want to stay in my home, but daily tasks are becoming more difficult for me. Are there services that can help?

Do you find yourself or a loved one having more difficulty with personal or household tasks? Is it getting harder to prepare meals, clean the tub, or get dressed?  Whether you’re facing increasing symptoms, a new diagnosis, or a new stage of life, there are options available.

Services to help you live at home

Services that can help you more easily manage everyday tasks, feel safer living on your own, and help you maintain a higher level of independence are often called “Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)”. Empowerline counselors can help you explore which of these services you may quality for. HCBS services like:

How do I pay for these services?

If you can afford to pay for these services (called “private pay”), we can help you connect to service options. If you can’t afford to pay, there may be HCBS available at low or no cost to you. These are funded through the federal Older Americans Act as well as state and local sources.

If you have a need for services due to COVID-19, you may be eligible for the CARES Flex Program, which provides a monthly budget for individuals and caregivers for needs such as bathing, dressing, laundry, meals, day programs, assistive technology, and more.

Note some services are limited to individuals over age 60, and, as demand is high and funding is limited, there may be waiting lists for services. Empowerline counselors can help you explore what services might make sense for you when you contact us.

Extra assistance to help you live at home

Maybe your or your loved one’s needs are a little more complex. In Georgia, Medicaid waiver programs provide more assistance to people who are low-income and functionally impaired so that they may stay in their homes and communities rather than going to live in a nursing home. The recipient must be Medicaid-eligible to access the Medicaid waiver programs. Depending on the waiver, services can include:

  • Adult day health: day programs that are community-based and designed to meet the needs of adults with functional impairments. These programs are structured and provide a variety of health, social, and related support services in supervised, protective settings.
  • Emergency response systems: devices that connect you or your loved one to a 24/7 call center in case of an emergency
  • Personal support: help with bathing, housekeeping, laundry, grooming, dressing, meal preparation
  • Home delivered meals
  • Respite: services that allow caregivers to take a break

Some of the specific Medicaid waiver programs for older persons and adults with disabilities in Georgia include:

If you qualify for Georgia Medicaid, these waiver services may be right for you and are available at low or no cost. However, as demand is high and funding is limited, there are often waiting lists for services. Contact Empowerline to learn more about what you might be eligible for.