SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – Missouri has a new resource phone line for senior citizens that will connect callers to local health and safety information. The service aims to be a one-stop shop for people 60 years and older.
As you can tell from the packed parking lot at the Southside Senior Center in Springfield on Tuesday, the visitors are happy to be back out in the world following the pandemic, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is trying to make their lives a little easier by offering that resource line. By calling 1-800-235-5503 and entering your zip code, you’ll be transferred to your local Area Agency on Aging, where you can get information on various services near you.
“The goal of information assistance is to be answering questions and then finding resources based on those needs,” explained Jennifer Tennison with Springfield’s SeniorAge Agency on Aging, which serves 17 counties. “For example, if someone needs home-delivery meals, we work with the senior centers so we can get them set up to get meals.”
“We deliver over 2,000 frozen meals a week, and those numbers increase weekly,” said Teena Jacobs, who runs the Southside Senior Center on Freemont in Springfield. “And we probably add an average of five-or-six new clients per week.”
But it’s not just meals.
Here’s a rundown of some of the major areas you can get information on:
– Information and assistance (helping to provide information to get the individual or their caregiver to the correct programs and services to meet their needs).
– In-home service (Personal care, homemaker, and respite services for non-Medicaid older adults).
– Transportation.
– Senior legal assistance (services provided by legal aids or private attorneys, paid for by the AAAs).
– Nutrition (both home-delivered and congregate meals).
– Disease prevention and health promotion programs (programs designed to help older adults stay healthy and address any diseases they may have).
– Family caregiver support (caregiver respite, support groups, training, supplemental supplies like dependents, liquid nutrition, durable medical equipment, etc.).
– Long-term care ombudsman services working to improve the quality of life for long-term care residents through advocacy, education, and empowerment.).
The AAAs also provide various other services to meet the needs of individuals in their areas. These services are available free to anyone over the age of 60, regardless of income. Family caregiver services can support any caregiver over the age of 18.
“A lot of our programs are need-based,” Tennison pointed out. “That means you qualify according to income. So we screen them to see if we can help them qualify for state assistance programs like food stamps and things of that nature.”
And having a clearinghouse of information all in one place is valuable for seniors.
“Because it gets very confusing if you have to call tons of different places,” Jacobs said. “But if you can call just one number and they can give you all the information, that’s very important.”
But one thing to be aware of is that you will not get your answers immediately. You will initially get a recording when you call the number and punch in your zip code.
“You leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, and then information assistants will call back within a day,” Tennison said.
That’s because of the volume of calls, and those providing assistance must gather the information you’re seeking.
But whether you’re at the senior center or the Agency on Aging, you can tell the service demand continues to increase.
“Dramatically,” Jacobs said of the increase in visitors at the senior center. “Since I started ten years ago, our numbers have about tripled.”
And it’s the same at the Agency on Aging.
“Our phone calls have increased a lot lately just because everyone is struggling to buy groceries,” Tennison said.
You can learn more about Missouri’s senior and disability services at health.mo.gov/seniors.
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