Aging Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What significant issues face the rural aging population today?
Answer:
Several issues rural elderly have to face are:
Migration - The lack of profitability of family holdings has been a cause of rural poverty and has increased migration to urban centers. Older persons are usually the last to move, following their children to urban areas and may face difficult adjustment.
Environmental challenges - These may include lack of safe drinking water, lack of proper sanitary facilities for disposal of sewage and garbage, low quality housing, lack of electricity, malnutrition, poor and badly maintained roads, and extreme climatic conditions for parts of the year.
Remoteness - Living in isolated areas distant from urban areas may result in inaccessibility to health care, lack of educational opportunities, lack of transportation to medical appointments, and difficulties in communication.
Health issues - Health issues affecting rural elderly include inadequate nutrition, obesity and unrecognized illnesses such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and depression.
Question: What is the Older Americans Act and what is its purpose?
Answer:
The Older Americans Act was originally signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 14, 1965. The Act created the primary vehicle for organizing, coordinating and providing community based services and opportunities for older Americans and their families. Amendments to the Act added grants to Area Agencies on Aging for local needs identification, planning, and funding of services, including but not limited to nutrition programs in the community as well as for those who are homebound; programs which serve Native American elders; services targeted at low-income minority elders; health promotion and disease prevention activities; in-home services for frail elders, and those services which protect the rights of older persons.
Older Americans Act: Programs, Funding and 2006 Reauthorization, sponsored by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging,
includes additional information on the Older Americans Act including talking points, advocacy, summary of changes, background, and legislative materials.
All individuals 60 years of age and older are eligible for services under the OAA, although priority attention is given to those who are in greatest need.
The Senior Community Service Employment program offers part-or full-time employment to low-income persons who are 55 years of age or older.
There is a wide range of services provided in various communities that are supported by the OAA. Some of these services are:
- Rides for essential trips, such as medical appointments, business errands, shopping and senior activities. Door-to-door transportation is available in many places.
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Outreach programs which identifies homebound or isolated people in need of services.
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Information and referral/assistance programs which assist older persons, their families and community agencies who need information
but don't know where to turn.
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Escort services, usually made up of volunteers, which provide support for older people with limited mobility to obtain needed services.
- In-home services and home health services which
encompass a wide range of supporting services offered to individuals who are homebound due to illness, functional limitations in activities of daily living, or disability.
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Homemaker services for those individuals who are unable to perform day-to-day household duties and have no one available to assist them. Services may include light housekeeping, laundry, limited personal care, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and shopping assistance.
- Volunteers to do chores such as
cleaning, minor repair or yard work.
- Support for those with Alzheimer's, in need of legal assistance, caregiving and respite services and referrals.
Question:
How can I find out if my state has an agency on aging? What can the agency do for me?
Answer: Each state has an agency on aging. These agencies can help you locate information and assistance on a variety of issues in your local area. These services serve people age 60 and over.
The Administration on Aging has a website that shows all state and area aging agencies.
AARP has information on all state offices, including services in your community and volunteer opportunities.
The National Family Caregiver Support Program is another source for finding state programs
that specialize in caregiver support, respite care, and supplemental assistance.
Question: What is the Meals-on-Wheels program and how can I find out if there is a program in my area?
Answer: The Meals on Wheels Association of America is the oldest and largest organization in the United States representing those who provide meal services to people in need. This program provides one hot meal per day to seniors. The guiding principle to which it subscribes is to help those men and women who are elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, or at risk. It also gives cash grants to local senior meal programs throughout the country to assist in providing meals and other nutrition services. The Meals-on-Wheels website allows you to search by city and state to find a listing of all programs in your area.
Some Meals-on-Wheels programs provide congregate meals in addition to home delivered meals. Congregate programs are simply programs that serve at senior centers, where seniors can come and eat their meal in the company of others. While this is not a rare type of program, it is certainly less common so you should check with your local program to see whether or not they have a congregate program.
Question: I don't drive and need transportation to get groceries and get to medical appointments. Who can I speak to about this in my rural community?
Answer:
Faith in Action has over 1,000 programs throughout the country. This volunteer program provides many services, including transportation to doctor appointments, errands, and picking up groceries. Faith in Action provides a listing of local programs throughout the United States.
Each state has a transportation office. These offices can assist in helping answer questions and locating what transportation programs are in your area. The National Rural Transit Programs provides a listing of state transportation offices.
Citizens or groups wanting to implement a transportation program in their rural community should visit with their state office listed above. Your state representative can tell you what can be done and how to do it. They also have the means at the state level to offer grants to purchase vehicles.
Community Action Agencies can also provide citizens with information on transportation in rural areas.
A listing of local public transportation systems is also available through the American Public Transportation Association. This listing provides a state-by-state display of state, regional and county transportation services available.
For further information on rural transportation program, please see the RAC Transportation Information Guide, particularly the frequently asked questions section.
Question:
What is the United We Ride Program and what can it do for me?
Answer: The Department of Transportation, with its partners at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Education, launched United We Ride, a national five part initiative to improve transportation for elderly, disabled and low-income residents. The purpose is to break down the barriers between programs and set the stage for local partnerships that generate common sense solutions and deliver A-plus performance for everyone who needs transportation. The initiative includes:
A Framework for Action - a self-assessment tool that states and communities can use to identify areas of success and highlight the actions still needed to improve the coordination of human service transportation.
State Leadership Awards - These awards recognized five States-- Ohio, North Carolina, Washington, Florida, and Maryland - for their leadership in building and implementing infrastructures, policies and programs that facilitate human service transportation coordination.
National Leadership Forum on Human Service Transportation Coordination -The National Leadership Forum was held in Washington D.C. on February 24th and 25th of 2004. The forum was a starting point to address state initiatives, to identify action steps and to identify technical assistance needs to improve human service transportation services.
State Coordination Grants - These grants address gaps and needs related to human service transportation in their geographic regions.
Technical Assistance and Training - Technical assistance program which provides hands-on assistance to states and communities in the development and delivery of coordinated human service transportation programs.
Credits
Last revised 01/27/2009
