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Area Agencies on Aging provide low-cost in-home care services, including help with person hygeine. 

It’s easy as an older adult or caregiver to get overwhelmed by the breadth of options in service and care providers, health and nutrition advice, and other senior support. That’s where Arkansas’ Area Agencies on Aging can come in, as a centralized hub for seniors to find services supporting independence and health.

“The main mission of all Area Agencies on Aging is to provide information and resources, so someone calling in need of assistance, we’ll help them find it whether we provide it or not,” says Luke Mattingly, CEO of CareLink, the central Arkansas Area Agency. 

Established as part of the federal Older Americans Act in 1965, more than 600 Area Agencies exist nationwide, including eight regional offices in Arkansas serving seniors 60 or older. The nonprofits are funded through federal and state grants, fees for service work, and other public and private grants and contributions. 

Their mission is “to help older adults live independently and with dignity in their homes and communities.”

“Home is where people want to be. They go to tremendous lengths to stay in their homes,” Mattingly says. “Statistically, they do better health-wise at home, and it’s also more cost-effective for the individual and taxpayer.”

Staying Independent

Many of Arkansas’ Area Agencies focus on helping seniors live independently or with a caregiver at home. Care coordination, where a case manager helps determine what services you need to live independently, is a primary service that’s provided to older adults in Arkansas for free. 

“We tell everyone to call, even if they don’t know what they need, because we keep a robust list of resources in our service regions and we can get them in touch with whatever they need,” says Michelle Gilbert, vice president of development at CareLink.

Most of Arkansas’ regional Agency offices also offer home care, with plans created with help from a licensed nurse who works with you and your doctor to tailor services to specific needs. Home care services include assistance with:

• Personal hygiene

• Housework

• Shopping

• Transportation

• Meal preparation

• Pet care

• Medication management

• Dressing

• Laundry

In-home carers also give homebound seniors the opportunity to socialize. The in-home care provided by Area Agencies fills a gap for seniors who don’t qualify for services through Medicaid, the U.S. Veterans Administration or private insurance programs.

“We’re Medicaid providers more so than others in the home health industry — those tend to be the neediest clients with less resources, and as a nonprofit, that falls within our core mission. All the Area Agencies [that offer home health] have larger Medicaid populations than is typical in home health companies,” Mattingly says.

Area Agencies can also coordinate free or low-cost Meals on Wheels deliveries for homebound or disabled seniors who can’t prepare their own food. And they offer transportation to doctor’s offices, grocery stores and local senior centers for those who are able to get out of the house but don’t drive.

Active seniors can also benefit from Area Agency services, which often include physical and cognitive exercise programs and opportunities to socialize with peers.

Caregiver Services

Caregivers can also utilize Area Agencies on Aging, which offer both social and financial resources for family members providing care to a loved one.

“We believe taking care of the family caregiver is taking care of seniors,” says Gilbert.

The Family Caregiver Grant Program offers financial assistance to allow caregivers to pay for respite care for their loved one. A local Agency can also help you find a qualified care provider to substitute for you while you tend to your affairs. The respite grants are available to anyone caring for someone 60 or older (or any age if they have Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia); there are no income requirements for these grants.

Caregiver support groups are also available, with no pre-registration required, unless you need to arrange respite care for your loved one while you attend the group. Check with a regional Agency office to learn more about when these support groups are offered.

“I interviewed a woman who was caring for her husband,” Gilbert says, “and when she found our services and started utilizing the support groups, she said, ‘I wasn’t going next door to my neighbor’s house to cry anymore.’ She had a place where people understood what was going on, what she was going through and where she could get her emotions and stress out.”

Area Agencies can also connect seniors residing in long-term care facilities and their loved ones with local long-term care ombudsmen, who advocate for residents of such facilities (see our story “Know Your Rights” on page 18 to learn more).