On Friday afternoon, the federal Administration on Aging unveils its new, improved elder care locator. The major change: anyone who dials the toll-free number, (800) 677-1116, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays should get an actual human on the line, ready to answer questions about government services and refer seniors and caregivers to local agencies that can help.
“My strong personal preference is that the best way to provide consumer assistance is in person — face to face, or on the phone,” said Kathy Greenlee, assistant secretary for aging at the federal Department of Health and Human Services. “Talking to someone about a situation, providing direction — there’s no substitute.”
The locator, intended as the first stop for those seeking services for older people in their counties, began as a phone service in 1991 and a decade later added a popular Web site, www.eldercare.gov. It had live operators until two years ago, when it switched to a recorded routing system.
I tried that system myself recently, asking about transportation services in Cumberland County, N.J., where my father lives. It worked reasonably well — I’ve certainly encountered worse automated systems — but some callers might have given up when the system failed, three times, to understand the city and state I kept enunciating as clearly as possible. I punched in my dad’s ZIP code, and that did the trick. I was connected to a person in Bridgeton, N.J., who told me how my father should apply.
“People didn’t get a live voice,” Ms. Greenlee said of the call system. This might explain why only 177,000 people called last year, while 1.9 million used the Web site. Starting Friday, though, five information specialists and two elder care counselors will handle calls in English and Spanish (a separate “language line” will assist those who speak other languages).
The staff can provide general information on Medicare and Medicaid eligibility and benefits, Social Security, food stamps and food delivery services, transportation, long-term care, caregiver support, protection against elder abuse and more.
The Web site is getting an overhaul, too. That new, improved version goes live later this month, exact date to be determined.
One potential shortcoming is that in a majority of cases, callers looking for services will be connected to a local Area Agency on Aging — there are more than 600 around the country — or to one of the more than 300 Aging and Disability Resource Centers that serve both seniors and younger people with disabilities. Whether this new setup is helpful really depends on those local agencies.
And how effective is the local agency? “It’s a place for people to begin their search when things seem overwhelming,” said Suzanne Modigliani, a veteran geriatric-care manager in Brookline, Mass. But, she added, “their usefulness varies according to the client.”
Many of the programs the agencies offer depend on income eligibility. You or your elderly relative might qualify, or you might not. And services in many areas have been slashed by state budget cuts, creating waiting lists. “People who need help sorting through options or services that aren’t on their menu of services might need a broader view” than local aging agencies offer, Ms. Modigliani said.
Plus, if call volume really picks up, will seven staff people be enough?
I’m hoping that users of the new elder care locator call center will comment here on how useful their experiences have been. Ms. Greenlee and her staff will be reading, too: “We’d be glad to get feedback,” she said.
So let’s take her at her word. You can reach the folks behind the new call service at eldercarelocator@n4a.org.