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Area Agency on Aging Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District 9229 Highway 49, Gulfport, MS 39503 Phone: 228-868-2326 Toll Free: 800-444-8014 Fax: 228-868-2550

The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District is an advocate for the aging population of Southern Mississippi, in conjunction with the Department of Human Services, Division of Aging and Adult Services, and the U.S department of Human Services. The Area Agency on Aging provides for the development and implementation of home and community based services, in a broad and comprehensive effort for the current and future needs of the senior population of the Southern Mississippi area. The area includes fifteen of the southernmost counties: Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jeff Davis, Jones, Lamar, Marion, Pearl River, Perry, Stone, and Wayne. This coordinated effort is to maintain expanded resources and quality services without duplication of services or escalation of costs to its public consumers as referred to under the Older Americans Act.

The Area Agency on Aging lists its wide range of responsibilities to the elderly as follows:

• Develops and administers area plans on aging and distributes funding to organizations to provide services.
   
• Directly administering case management, information assistance, referral services, long-term care ombudsman, outreach, senior employment program, senior companions, and Insurance Counseling and Assistance. (See categories and definitions below)
   
• Advocates for continued development of home and community based services to maintain maximum independence and quality of life for seniors.
   
• Supports the needs of special populations of the physically and mentally impaired, abused, neglected, or exploited, and those of advanced age with or without a caregiver to assist them when in need.
   
• Promotes healthy lifestyles through education and fitness programs.
   
• Represents the interests of local seniors at state and national levels.
   
• Generates resources for comprehensive and coordinated service systems.
   
• Monitors and evaluates contracted services and grants.

Resources and Network Service Providers
The Area Agency on Aging (AAA), a United Way Agency, is collaborating with The Seniors Resource Guide Book of Southeast Mississippi and the website www.SeniorsResourceGuide.com to further the comprehensive efforts of providing seniors with all resources available to them for a life of dignity, choice, and purpose.

Where to find a Book
In the Southern Mississippi area, is The Seniors Resource Guidebook is an in-print bi-annual publication distributed free of charge through local area Chambers of Commerce and in the Hattiesburg by the Area Development Partnership. Other convenient distribution locations are hospitals, senior centers, libraries, churches, government agencies, and special senior events. To order a book online refer to the Order Book link or search the Southern Mississippi Seniors Resource Guide database at www.seniorsresourceguide.com/GulfCoast/search_topics.html.

The AAA has a broad base of resources in its network of service providers for the Southeastern Mississippi area. This includes each of the fifteen counties listed above. The list shown below reviews the types of resources available.

Resource Categories and Definitions:

• Adult Daycare – Adult day Care is a service, which provides day programs for older persons, 60 or older, with serious health problems or impairments for recreational activities, personal care supervision, nutrition, limited health-care, and the opportunity to interact socially with other people in-group or individual activities. In order to qualify for this program individuals must receive a level II score of 22 or above on the Division of Aging & Adult Services screening instrument.
   
• Case Management – Case Management links individuals to personal care, housekeeping, nutrition programs, and other services, assisting them to remain in their own homes. The Case Management program provides coordinated and monitored services to persons age 60 and over. In order to qualify for this program individuals must receive a level II score of 22 or above on the Division of Aging & adult Services screening instrument.
   
• Congregate Meals – A congregate meal is a nutritionally balanced meal served in a specific location such as a community or senior center. Congregate meals are primarily for the mobile senior population. In order to qualify for this program individuals must receive a level II score of 22 or above on the Division of Aging & adult Services screening instrument.
   
• Family Care Giver Support Program – This program includes information to caregivers about available services: assistance to caregivers in gaining access to services, individual counseling, organization of support groups and caregiver training to assist caregivers in making decisions and solving problems relating to their caregiving roles, and supplemental respite services to complement care by caregivers. The services are provided to the caregiver. Caregiver is defined as: 1) any individual, regardless of age, providing care for a person 60 years of age or older, or 2) a grand parent or other relative 60 years of age or older, caring for a child 18 years of age or younger.
   
• Caregiver Counseling – The program provides an opportunity for the caregiver to receive one-on-one guidance, support, and instruction about options and methods, in individual or group settings. The caregiver and professional counselor develop a treatment plan to work through issues related to caregiver stress, burnout, role overload, grief, and many other caregiving related issues.
   
• Grand' parenting – The program also recognizes the needs of grandparents caring for grandchildren and for caregivers of those 18 and under with mental retardation or developmental difficulties and the diverse needs of Native Americans.
   
• Respite – Provides temporary relief time for the primary caregiver (i.e... spouse, child, relative) of an ill, frail, infirmed, functionally impaired older individual or dementia patient that requires constant in-home care.
  The purpose of respite care is to:
  1. Prevent, delay, or avoid premature or unnecessary institutionalization.
  2. Prevent elder abuse.
  3. Prevent or reduce physical and emotional stress on the family.
  4. Give the primary caregiver some much needed personal time away from home and the caregiver's role.
  5. Prevent caregiver's burnout.
  6. Give the caregiver an interval of rest from the burden of constant care.
   
• Support Group – A group of caregivers, with same or similar needs, meeting with a professional for discussion, guidance, advice, and best practices suitable to caregiving issues. Such caregiver issues include stress, burnout, role overload, grief, and many other caregiving related issues.
   
• Home Delivered Meals – Nutritionally balanced meals delivered to the homes of those unable to leave home without assistance. Persons who are homebound and receiving case management services are given first priority for home delivered meals. In order to qualify for this program individuals must receive a level II score of 22 or above on the Division of Aging & Adult Services screening instrument.
   
• Homemaker Services – Homemaker services assist older persons to remain in the home by providing housekeeping, laundry, food planning, shopping and other tasks. In order to qualify for this program individuals must receive a level II score of 22 or above on the Division of Aging & Adult Services screening instrument.
   
• Information, Assistance, and Referral – Information, Assistance, and Referral services support all older persons and their caregivers in assessing their needs, identifying the most appropriate services to meet their needs, and linking the older person and caregiver to the agencies providing these services.
   
• Legal Services – The legal Services Program is designed to assist older persons to become more aware of, and protect their civil and legal rights through activities or direct intervention by attorneys or legal paraprofessionals.
   
• Long-term Care Alternatives – The purpose of the Long Term Care Alternatives Program of the Division of Medicaid (DOM) is to tell Medicaid beneficiaries, applicants, and the public about alternatives to nursing home care.
   
• Long-term Care Ombudsman – Ombudsman services are those that relate to the well being of institutionalized elderly persons. Services include investigation and resolution of complaints, advocacy, and development of programs to ensure the quality of life for residents of long-term care facilities.
   
• Complaints and concerns may relate to action, which may affect a long-term care resident's life, safety, health, welfare, and right of quality care. Advocacy may involve interpretation of policy, laws, regulations, resident's rights, as well as monitoring of State and Federal legislation, which may impact long-term care.
   
• Mississippi Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (MICAP) – This program provides information, counseling, and assistance relating to Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare supplemental policies, long term care insurance, and other health insurance benefit information.
   
• Mississippi Medicare Assistance Patrol Project (MSMAPP) – This program is designed to help seniors identify fraud, abuse, and teach them how to report suspicious claims.
   
• Outreach – Outreach is the extending of services or activities beyond the current or usual limits, including a variety of intervention activities designed to reach those 60 years and older. These services include making one-to-one contact to assess their service needs, to inform and encourage their use of available resources, and to make appropriate referrals.
   
• Senior Center – A Senior Center is a focal point in the community, where persons come together for a broad spectrum of services, activities, and educational and recreational programs.
   
• Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) – The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), is designed to provide, foster, and promote useful part-time opportunities in community service employment for low-income persons who are 55 years of age or older. To the feasible extent of assisting and promoting the transition of program enrollees to private or other unsubsidized employment.
   
• The SCSEP also provides the community or communities in which they operate, with additional dimensions of skills and aptitudes, which can be drawn upon to improve and upgrade existing human services or to establish new ones.
   
• Senior Companion Program – The purpose of the Senior Companion Program, is to create part-time, stipend, volunteer community service opportunities for low-income person's aged 60 or over. The program also provides supportive individual services to assist adults with exceptional needs, developmental disabilities, or other special needs for companionship. (Harrison and Hancock Counties only)
   
• Valley Pak – Nutritionally balanced home delivered meals, which are available to clients of any age who are not eligible for the regular home delivered meals program. These meals are packaged in a box of five meals in trays for the microwave or conventional oven. These meals may be purchased through the Area Agency on Aging.

The www.SeniorsResourceGuide.com website indexes many of these categories. The complete list can also be found in The Seniors Resource Guide Book of Southeast Mississippi that the AAA collaborated on with the book publishers. If you have any questions please call our office at 228-868-2326 or Toll Free at 800-444-8014.