At Home Elderly Assistance

At home elderly assistance can help senior citizens continue to live in their own homes independently. There are government and private resources available to help keep seniors safe and secure in their homes as long as possible. Some programs are free, or sliding-scale, while others are private pay. The types of assistance available in each community may vary, so any search for help should start by calling your local town or county's Council on Aging department.

Food and Nutrition

• Some seniors may have difficulty with shopping and meal preparation. Many grocery stores have home delivery programs that make shopping easier. The senior, or a concerned child or friend, can place a grocery order online. When the order is delivered, it will be carried into the house. Some stores will even place foods in the refrigerator or freezer. Both traditional groceries and prepared meals are eligible for the service.

  If a senior is no longer comfortable preparing meals, he may benefit from the Meals on Wheels service. This program, coordinated by local Councils on Aging, uses volunteers to provide a hot meal daily to seniors in the community. The volunteer delivers a hot meal mid-day, as well as a cold meal that can be eaten at dinner time. In addition to meeting nutritional needs, Meals on Wheels ensures that someone will stop by to check in on the senior once a day.

Medical Services

• Most hospitals have home health care services that will provide nursing care as well as physical and occupational therapy in the home. These services may or may not be covered by private health insurance. Seniors on Medicare or Medicaid may be eligible for medical assistance through the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, which is designed to provide medical services that would typically be provided in a nursing home to seniors who continue to reside at home. In order to qualify for PACE, a person must be at least 55 years of age, live in a PACE service area, meet that state's standards for nursing home care, and be able to be cared for safely in the community.

  Seniors who live in Portland, Oregon, Long Beach, California, Brooklyn, New York, and Las Vegas, Nevada, and who receive Medicare, may be eligible to participate in a Social Managed Care Plan. This plan expands the traditional services offered by managed care plans to include services designed to help seniors stay at home, including homemaker services, personal care services, adult day care, respite care and medical transportation.

Emergency Alert Devices

• Technology can help seniors live at home safely. Seniors can wear emergency alert devices as necklaces or bracelets, and push a button to signal a monitoring agency. When the alert is sounded, the agency will attempt to call the senior to verify the emergency; if the call isn't answered, emergency services will be dispatched. Services also exist to call the senior daily, and if the call isn't answered, they will alert a contact person. These calls can also be used to provide medication reminders.

Personal Care Assistance

• Personal care assistance is available to cover a wide spectrum of activities. Unskilled companions will visit a senior, take her shopping, sit and chat, prepare light meals and do housekeeping. A certified nursing assistant is trained in moving frail elders from a bed to a chair, and can provide assistance with bathing and grooming. Depending on state law, some CNAs may also be able to administer medications.