Program Description
The state of Georgia, through its network of 12 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), offers a variety of home and community based services and supports that help elderly residents remain living in their homes. This is less of a formal program and more of a collection of services that vary depending on the geographic area of the state in which one resides. Not only does the availability of services vary, so does the funding.
The most relevant and helpful of these services are adult day care, homemaker services, and chore services. However, a broader suite of supports may be available in certain areas. These services are best thought of as one component of a solution that helps elderly persons remain independent or helps families care for a loved one. Assistance from the Area Agencies on Aging alone is not enough, but might make the difference when combined with other forms of assistance.
These Home and Community Based Services are authorized via the Older Americans Act and are administered via Georgia’s Department of Human Services’ Division of Aging Services (DAS).
Eligibility Guidelines
General Requirements
Non-Medicaid Home and Community Based Services are open to all Georgia residents 60 years or older regardless of their financial income or assets. This distinction is different from Medicaid, which considers both of those factors when determining eligibility. Some programs such as senior employment and kinship care are available to residents 55 years and older.
Financial Requirements
An assessment to determine functional and financial need is done by one’s local Area Agency on Aging. Those who are determined to have the greatest need for services, such as those who are frail and at risk of nursing home placement, live by themselves, live in a rural area, are minorities, or have the greatest financial need (at or under the poverty level, which as of 2023 is $1,215 / month for an individual), will be given priority for services.
Georgia Medicaid offers similar services as this program. However, persons receiving services under Medicaid would be very unlikely to also receive this form of assistance. Read about the SOURCE program:
Benefits and Services
Different services are available in the different geographic areas served by the Area Agencies on Aging. It is unlikely that any one area offers ALL of the following services. Rather, this is a list of what might be available.
- Adult Day Services / Adult Day Care
- Alzheimer’s Disease / Dementia Training for Caregivers
- Mobile Day Care (available only in rural areas of the state)
- Chore Services
- Congregate (Group) Meals
- “Friendly Visits” – Home visits for companionship
- Telephone Reassurance – Safety checks and companionship
- Home Modification and Repair – Widening of doorways, ramps, lifts, etc.
- Home-Delivered Meals
- Home Management Training
- Education / Counseling – Nutrition and wellbeing
- Activities – Recreation and fitness
- Homemaker Services – Preparation of meals and light housecleaning
- Personal Care Assistance – Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as bathing, mobility, toiletry, and eating
- Personal Emergency Response Services (PERS)
- Respite Care
- Transportation
How to Apply / Learn More
To apply for services, one should contact their local Area Agency on Aging. A county by county directory of Georgia AAAs is available here.
One can read more information about these services on Georgia’s Department of Human Services website. Please make note, there may be a wait list to receive services. Those who have been determined to have the greatest level of need generally receive services within 12 months of application.