Northwest Florida Area
Agency On Aging, Inc.Serving As YourAging And Disability Resource Center

The Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging, Inc. is a private non-profit corporation funded by the Federal Older Americans Act and State General Revenue through the Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA), serving senior residents 60 years old and older of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton and Okaloosa Counties. The Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging, Inc., serves as the designated Aging and Disability Resource Center for our four county planning and service area (PSA 1).

The Northwest Florida Area Agency on Aging, Inc., Aging and Disability Resource Center is not a direct provider of health or social services but rather the administrative agency for our area. The Agency collaborates with community-based service providers in the planning, coordination, development and evaluation of programs and services currently available for those residents who are 60 years old and older. The Aging and Disability Resource Center provides information and referral services to the aging population and well as persons with developmental disabilities.

Through the Elder Helpline’s “one stop shop” the Aging and Disability Resource Center’s staff:

1. Determines eligibility for Federal and state funded services;
2. Responds to requests for information for aging persons as well as persons with developmental disabilities;
3. Initiates appropriate referrals for available servicesfor aging persons and persons with developmental disabilities;
4. Tracks clients through a centralized data management bank;
5. Refers clients to the S.H.I.N.E. (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) program;
6. Evaluates effectiveness, timeliness and availability of services requested and provided

All elders, persons with developmental disabilities and their families and community service agencies have access to the Information and Referral network. The Information and Referral Elder Helpline staff initially receives the all Aging and Disability Resource Center calls. Information requests may require a response as simple as a phone number or may involve research by the Information and Referral Specialist to provide the needed information. When a referral is needed, the Specialist will forward the consumer information and service request to the appropriate health or social service agency. The Specialist will call the consumer back within 14 days to see if the information/referral provided met the individual’s needs. If with the original Information and Referral call it appears that a consumer might benefit from services provided through the Florida Department of Elder Affairs aging network, the information is forwarded to the Intake Department of the Aging and Disability Resource Center. The consumer will be contacted and a telephone screening will be performed. The responses will be entered into a statewide computerized database and a “priority score” will be calculated for the consumer. The higher the priority score the more likely a client is to receive services from one of the aging network funded programs. When funding becomes available the client with the highest priority score becomes eligible to receive services. There may be times when a waiting list for services exists. Certain service programs may require a specific medical diagnosis, a consumer co-pay for the provision of services or the willingness to self-pay.