Safety and Well-being
AgeOptions is committed to empowering older adults and their caregivers – particularly when it comes to their well-being, security and safety. Our priority is to safeguard older adults from fraud, abuse and neglect, and to ensure that individual rights are recognized and protected. When they are not, we respectfully offer guidance and pursue action that is fair.
Medicare and Health Care Costs
Health care costs are rising and consumers, at all income levels, are facing complex decisions about benefits and programs.
Through the Health Care Choices Resource Center and the Make Medicare Work Coalition, AgeOptions simplifies the complexity with accurate, neutral information so that older adults can compare options and make the best decisions. We also work with public programs to assure the best service.
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Barriers to Benefits
There are many benefit programs that older adults are both eligible for and entitled to. Red tape and barriers, including language, literacy and transportation, sometimes limit people’s options.
Through the Red Tape Cutters Program, trained volunteers and staff help older adults locate needed services and overcome barriers to participation. Benefits might include pharmaceutical assistance, rent subsidies, energy assistance, Medicaid, transportation, Food Stamps, Social Security, property tax assistance and more.
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Medicare Fraud
Millions of Medicare and Medicaid funds are lost each year due to error or fraud. The SMP (formerly Senior Medicare Patrol) program focuses on educating Medicare and Medicaid recipients and caregivers on how to prevent unintended errors and identify fraud, and to detect deliberate abuse. Trained professionals and volunteers work in their communities and local senior centers, sharing the steps individuals can take to protect themselves.
For more information, go to the SMP website, www.illinoissmp.org, or view the “Protect Yourself from Health Care Fraud” brochure.
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Elder Abuse
Research indicates that close to one person in 20, aged 60 and over, experiences some form of mistreatment.
In the Elder Abuse and Neglect Intervention Program, clients are empowered to recognize abuse and provided with resources to stop it. Respecting client wishes and autonomy, experienced professionals are trained to answer questions, receive reports and make arrangements for community-based services that may include in-home care, adult day care and more.
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Advocating for Protection
Residents of long term care facilities and their families often times have questions about their care but don’t know where to turn.
The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program offers advocates, or ombudsmen, who protect and promote the rights and quality of life for people who reside in nursing homes and other such facilities. Listening to the concerns of the resident and family, ombudsmen inform them of their rights, seek to resolve resident-related issues and problems, and advocate on their behalf.
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