Brain Injury Prevention
. - Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Millions of people in this country provide care for an older adult-a parent, grandparent, other family member, professional caregiver, or a close friend. For most caregivers, the older adult's health is the overriding concern. One way to help older adults live, better lives and stay independent is by learning about traumatic brain injury, or TBI and how to prevent it. "Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury" is a CDC initiative to raise awareness among children and other caregivers of older adults about ways to prevent, recognize, and respond to TBI in adults 75 and older. As part of this initiative, CDC has developed easy-to-use English- and Spanish-language materials for older adults and their caregivers. Visit the website to obtain their caregiver guide, brochure and factsheets.
NYS Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. The Commission's mission is to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities, to protect their rights, and to advocate for needed changes.
Family Health Plus - Family Health Plus is a public health insurance program for adults who are aged 19 to 64 who have income or resources too high to qualify for Medicaid. Family Health Plus is available to single adults, couples without children, and parents with limited income who are residents of New York State and are United States citizens or fall under one of many immigration categories.
Family Health Plus provides comprehensive coverage, including prevention, primary care, hospitalization, prescriptions and other services. There are minimal co-payments for some Family Health Plus services. Health care is provided through participating managed care plans in your area.
NYS EPIC - Phone: 1-800-332-3742. EPIC is a New York State sponsored prescription plan for senior citizens who need help paying for their prescriptions.
Employer & Retiree Plans - See your health benefits administrator.
NYS Department of Health - The main page for the state of NY Department of Health provides links to health insurance programs, birth and death certificates, health care professionals, and hospital, nursing home and other care giving facilities.
Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) 1-800- 701-0501 Trained counselors can answer your questions about Medicare, Medicare Advantage Plans, Medigap, EPIC and other health and long term care insurance. See the HIICAP brochure included in this Toolkit or contact your local office for the aging.
Hospice - Hospice and Palliative Care Association of NY - To promote the availability and accessibility of quality hospice and palliative care for all persons in New York State confronted with life-limiting illness. To find a Hospice program in New York, call the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of NYS at 1-800-431-8988. Or, you can visit www.medicare.gov on the web.
NYS Insurance Department - Senior Citizens Resource Center - Use this site to find out about long term care insurance, Medicare, Medigap, Medicaid, and other information. Link to http://planaheadny.com/ to learn about long term care insurance, what it covers, do you need it and more. The Insurance Department's Elder Protection Unit was developed to provide support and protection for the elderly in dealing with insurance and related concerns. Call the Insurance Department's toll-free number at 1-800-342-3736
NYS Long Term Care Insurance Education and Assistance Program (LTCIEOP) - It is important to plan ahead for your long term care needs. Resource Centers are available in every county to inform and educate consumers about long-term care insurance, including policies available through the Partnership for Long-Term Care. These centers provide information as well as individual, unbiased counseling. Get more information on Long-Term Care Insurance or the phone number to the Resource Center in your county by calling 1-866-950-PLAN. Also see the NYS Partnership for LTC listed below.
Long Term Home Health Care Program - An alternative to institutionalization Coordinated plan of medical, nursing and rehabilitative care provided at home to disabled persons who are medically eligible for placement in a nursing home.
Who is eligible? This program is available to individuals who are medically eligible for placement in a nursing home and choose to receive services at home. These individuals must have care costs which are less than the nursing home cost in the county. How do I find the Long Term Home Health Care Program? Individuals can access this program through a hospital discharge planner, the local Department of Social Services or a Long Term Home Health Care Provider. The county determines eligibility for the program, and the LDSS authorizes all services that are provided.
Welcome to Medicare's free, secure online service for accessing your Medicare information. As a registered user of MyMedicare.gov, you will have access to personalized information regarding your Medicare benefits and services. You can use MyMedicare.gov to:
Medicare home care is only approvable by Medicare when a beneficiary meets a certain criteria or is considered homebound. Homecare must be certified by a doctor. A Medicare participating home health care agency (HHA) will send someone to do an assessment to see if the beneficiary meets the Medicare criteria for coverage.
NYS Office of Mental Health - New York State has a large, multi-faceted mental health system that serves more than 500,000 individuals each year. The Office of Mental Health (OMH) operates psychiatric centers across the State, and also regulates, certifies and oversees more than 2,500 programs, which are operated by local governments and nonprofit agencies. These programs include various inpatient and outpatient programs, emergency, community support, residential and family care programs. For questions about mental health services, to find a mental health service provider or to make a complaint, call OMH Customer Relations toll-free at 1-800-597-8481.
New York State Office For People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) - Welcome to the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) web site. OMRDD's Mission is to coordinate and provide services for people with developmental disabilities and their families and to conduct research into the causes and prevention of developmental disabilities. http://www.opwdd.ny.gov/ws/ws_linemap.jsp link here to locate a Developmental Disabilities Services Offices (DDSO) near you.
Mental Health Association of NY - MHANYS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with 30 local affiliate MHAs serving 52 counties in New York State. MHANYS and the affiliate network work to promote mental health and recovery, encourage empowerment in mental health service recipients, eliminate discrimination, raise public awareness with education, and advocate for equality and opportunity for all. MHANYS accomplishes these tasks through the following programs: Consumer and Business Outreach Program (CBOP), Community Mental Health Promotion (CMHP), Mental Health Information Center (MHIC), Parents with Psychiatric Disabilities (PWPD) Project, and Public Policy & Advocacy. MHANYS works to ensure available and accessible mental health services for all New Yorkers.
- 301 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 (518) 463-1211. Since 1908, the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany, Inc. (NABA) has provided comprehensive programs and services to residents of the greater Capital Region who are blind or visually impaired. NABA's services help individuals of all ages adapt to their vision loss, maximize their remaining vision, achieve their goals and be more productive and independent.
Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI) - Provides consumer and provider information regarding the quality of care in nursing homes. NHQI discusses quality measures that are shown at the Nursing Home Compare website (medicare.gov), which allows consumers, providers, States and researchers to compare information on nursing homes. Many nursing homes have already made significant improvements in the care being provided to residents by taking advantage of these materials and the support of Quality Improvement Organization staff.
NYS Office of the Professions, NYS Education Department - Since 1891, the Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department have overseen the preparation, licensure, and practice of the professions. Currently, the Office of the Professions regulates forty-seven professions defined in Title VIII of the Education Law.
NYS Ombudsman Program - The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (or LTCOP) is a federal advocacy program dedicated to protecting people living in long term care facilities. In New York State, the Office for the Aging operates LTCOP though its Office of the State Long Term Care Ombudsman. Substate Ombudsman programs are sponsored either by area agencies on aging or other qualified organizations. The heart of the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program is its corps of specially trained and certified citizen-volunteer ombudsmen. Many volunteers are retired professionals from various fields. These dedicated Ombudsmen spend an average of four to six hours a week in each of their assigned facilities, advocating for the residents.
Partnership for Prescription Assistance - The Partnership for Prescription Assistance brings together America's pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through the public or private program that's right for them. Many will get them free or nearly free. Its mission is to increase awareness of patient assistance programs and boost enrollment of those who are eligible. Through this site, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers a single point of access to more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs, including more than 180 programs offered by pharmaceutical companies. To access the Partnership for Prescription Assistance by phone, you can call toll-free, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669).
NYS Partnership for Long Term Care - 1-888-697-7582. See the NYS Partnership for LTC section of this Toolkit.
VA - Veteran's Health Administration - Includes information on Health Care Benefits, Information for Patients, How to Find a Facility, and Prescription Information
