Northeast Florida Area Agency on Aging

Eldersource is in its 49th year as the Area Agency on Aging for Northeast Florida. As the Area Agency on Aging, we are responsible for identifying the needs of elders and caregivers in our region and contracting with providers for services to address those needs. We are then responsible for the stewardship and oversight of the taxpayer and donor dollars. We make sure the services that are provided are a good quality service, they meet the standards and requirements, that those most in need are getting the services and the dollars are well and appropriately spent. As the Aging and disability resource center we are responsible for providing information and referral to needed resources for older adults age 60 and over and for adults age 18 and older living with a disability and their caregivers. In 2022, customer services specialists answered 37,056 calls. We are also responsible for screening individuals for the various state funded programs as well as the medicaid managed care long term care program. In 2022, staff completed over 7,400 assessments. We also assist clients through the eligibility determination process for this particular program approximately 150 to 200 people a month. In 2022, our shine program (serving health insurance needs of elders) volunteers made 3,132 contacts and saved seniors over $2.5 million on medicare part d and $2 million from the medicare savings plan. In 2022, our senior-to-senior program supported by the j. wayne and delores barr weaver foundation at the community foundation and the jim moran family foundation continued helping older adults facing a financial crisis.according to the centers for disease control, by 2030 there will only be four potential family caregivers per adult, compared to seven today. The statistics magnify the need to provide support and resources for the impact on caregivers. Eldersource is working to meet the needs of this important group of individuals. The tailored caregiver assessment and referral program (tcare) supported family members at risk for burnout. Initially funded by Florida blue foundation and bolstered by a grant from the humana foundation, tcare was a boon to many caregivers in 2022. The eldersource care connector assessed seventy-four people who had personalized plans created for them to help the caregiver reduce burnout and connect to support resources to best meet their needs. The virtual caregiver support group, established prior to the pandemic, was a safe place for caregivers to share information, ask questions and voice personal feelings with other caregivers who are "walking the same walk." The telephone reassurance program called caring connections enlisted the help of 54 volunteers who called on 69 seniors making 3,554 calls.giving caregivers the guidance and resources to be the best caregiver they can be was the goal of the powerful tools for caregivers program. With funding from the american recovery act, powerful tools for caregivers is an evidence-based program of six classes held once a week that provides participants the tools needed to succeed in their caregiving journey. Finally, the caregiver coalition of Northeast Florida managed by eldersource, offered virtual workshops and an in-person event. More than two hundred people attended the virtual workshops and more than forty people benefited from an in-person workshop featuring valuable information on respite care. Current membership of the coalition stands at 25 individuals and organizations.eldersource continues to devote time, attention and resources to advancing our work in the Area of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (deib) to ensure that eldersource information and business practices are accessible to those in the community.