Aging and Disability Resource Centers support senior citizens

Aging Services Specialist Lisa Baxter

The Aging and Disability Resource Centers were developed through a partnership between the Administration on Aging/Administration for Community Living, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with overall goal of the ADRC Program is to empower individuals to effectively navigate their long-term services and supports options to make informed choices, to streamline access to long-term services and supports and organize the long-term support system.

The vision is to have ADRCs in every community serving as highly visible and trusted places where people can turn for information on the full range of long term support options and a single point of entry to public long term support programs and benefits.

ADRCs are a resource for both public and private-pay individuals. Making information and counseling available to private-pay individuals is a central element of the Administration on Aging/Administration for Community Living/Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Resource Center vision. Reaching people before they become Medicaid-eligible and helping them to learn about low-cost options and programs such as private long term support insurance, can help individuals make better use of their own resources and help to prevent or delay spend-down to Medicaid is a primary goal. ADRCs serve adults age 60 and older and people with disabilities older than the age of 18.

Trained and certified information specialists throughout the state:

• Serve individuals 60 or older, adults with disabilities, their family and caregivers;

• Provide information, referral and assistance;

• Provide options counseling for planning long term services and supports;

• Maintain a current public website directory of Montana services and providers, and

• Provide outreach work within their communities or service areas

All Information Specialists are employees, volunteers or contracted services through the Area Agencies on Aging and local service providers.

To date, ADRCs have accomplished the following:

• Increased capacity and expertise to provide information and assistance to consumers needing help in exploring long-term care services and options.

• Developed relationships with Independent Living Centers for training and to provide assistance to persons with disabilities.

• Provided outreach and public education on long term care topics.

• Developed an internet-based system for people to apply for multiple public benefits including Medicaid programs; food stamps; Low Income Energy Assistance, or LIEAP; Big Sky Rx; Vocational Rehabilitation Services, and aging services programs. The system limits repeated collection of the same information when applying for public benefits.

• Develop a memorandum of understanding with Medicaid on ways to increase coordination between Medicaid and ADRCs and continue efforts to simplify the application process for public benefits.

• Develop a proposal to obtain Medicaid administrative dollars for ADRC Medicaid-related activities in conjunction with the state Medicaid program and submit it to CMS.

• Implement a formal client screening/assessment process in the ADRCs.

• Expansion of Medicaid administrative dollars for all ADRCs

• Development and implementation of the Options Counseling program.

Nine Montana Area Agencies on Aging are designated as ADRCs including the Area X Agency on Aging in Hill County.