Senior Living: Area Agency on Aging one of Georgia’s best-kept secrets
By BETH DOW, Senior Living Advice
One of Georgia’s best kept secrets was never meant to be a secret. And as Georgia seniors’ needs grow, the secret is getting out.
In 1978, after the earlier passage of the 1965 Older Americans Act, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) was formed. The mission of the AAA is to “promote independence and well-being for older persons and adults with disabilities in the region through quality programs and services”. Our local AAA, Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging, is located in Franklin and serves a 10-county area including Coweta and Troup counties. The Fayette County area is covered by the Atlanta Regional Commission.
With a statewide data base of over 24,000 resources, the AAA is a one-stop call for many needs, questions, and information.
Below are just a few of the services offered by the Area Agency on Aging.
Senior Employment: Are you over the age of 55 and interested in gaining or enhancing your work skills? Do you need help finding employment? If so, the AAA can help. Not only can they help you find and train for a job, you can get paid while training.
In-Home Services: Are you independent, but just need a little help? AAA can help provide meals delivered to your home, assistance with light housekeeping and assistance with your ADLs (Activities of Daily Living: dressing, eating, bathing, toileting and transferring.) They offer caregiver relief services and coordination, monitoring and evaluation of options and services to meet your individual social and health needs.
Their Community Services include: Senior Activity Centers, lunchtime meals, Alzheimer’s day care, nutrition information and counseling, and wellness programs for individuals with diabetes or other chronic conditions. They offer resources and support groups for grandparents raising grandchildren. They can provide legal assistance, information, and counseling for seniors. And if you are ready to sign up for Medicare, call them first to get the understanding and information you need from someone who is not trying to sell you a product.
With the restrictions COVID-19 caused for many living in nursing homes, their Transitions Program can help assist individuals who would like to transition from a nursing home back to the community.
They also offer a wide array of Home Assistive Devices. Everything from telephones with large keys and extra volume, to extended “grabbers” to reach things on the floor, to seats that swivel to help you get out of the car easier, and even “weighted” forks and spoons to help those who may shake when eating.
This is just a snapshot of the services the Area Agency on Aging offer. There are more – too many to mention here. I urge you to call them with any question or need. They may have the solution that you didn’t even know was available!
They can be reached at 1-866-854-5652 or by visiting their website: https://www.threeriversrc.com/. I encourage you to write down this number and keep it close by. Share it. This is one secret that needs to be shared!
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Beth Dow is a Dementia and Alzheimer’s Educator, CAEd and Geriatric Care Manager. Readers can contact her at [email protected].
