Resources

Trustworthy organizations provide information and many types of assistance. Some serve people at assorted points and locations on the continuum of care, and some are oriented to specific niches.

• Georgia’s Area Agencies on Aging keep up with everything in their coverage area to provide information freely to any who ask. The generic name for this service is “Aging and Disability Resource Connection.”
• The Area Agency on Aging for the Atlanta Region has an “Empowerline”—an entry point to getting information.

Avoid waiting until the time of need to learn about resources and how things work.

• The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ LongTermCare.gov website lets users start or continue their education from where they are now.
• The Georgia Division of Aging Services publishes helpful guides.
• The Arc helps families and individuals with I/ID build plans for their future.
• The Eldercare Locator has a guide—“Let’s Talk”—to help older adults, families, and friends “start the conversation” about end-of-life care and a range of other publications.

American demographics foretell more and more older people over time; people need help in old age. Some groups advocate to impact investment in the necessary infrastructure that will be needed at the state and national level.

• Georgia Council on Aging: Coalition of Advocates for Georgia’s Elderly (CO-AGE)
• Justice in Aging advocates for policies that address senior poverty.
• National Council on Aging advocates to impact health and economic security.

Many organizations advocate on behalf of and with people that are impaired or vulnerable, and those who are abused, neglected, and exploited.

• The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
• Georgia Advocacy Office works with those “who are labeled as disabled or mentally ill to secure their protection and advocacy.”
• Office of Disability Services Ombudsman
• Adult Protective Services is charged with investigation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of persons aged 65-plus and adults (18-plus) with a disability.
• The Georgia Senior Legal Hotline offers legal advice and information by phone for those aged 60-plus: (404) 657-9915.

Planning Ahead

• The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care—“My Personal Directions for Quality Living”—fillable form (sample here)
• Eldercare Locator’s “Let’s Talk: Starting the Conversation About Health, Legal, Financial, and End-of-Life Issues”
• AARP’s “Prepare to Care” guides
• US Department of Veterans Affairs’ VA Advance Directive
• Georgia POLST Collaborative: Advance Care Planning
• Georgia Physicians Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form (other resources)

Transitions and Continuum of Care Options

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: “Alternatives to Nursing Homes”
• Pioneer Network: “What Are My Care Options?”
• Eldercare Locator: “Living Well With Dementia in the Community: Resources and Support”
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: “Your Discharge Planning Checklist” fillable form
• The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care: “Piecing Together Quality Long-Term Care: A Consumer’s Guide to Choices and Advocacy”
• Administration for Community Living: “A Person-Centered Approach to Advanced Illness”

Village Movement and Aging in Place

• NPR: “‘Village Movement’ Allows Elderly to Age in Their Homes”
• AARP: “The Age-in-Place ‘Village’ Movement”
• NextAvenue: “The Village Movement: Redefining Aging in Place”
• Grantmakers in Aging: “The Village Movement: A Sustainable Model for Aging in Community”
• Senior Planet: “The Village Model: A Neighborly Way to Age in Place”
• National Institute on Aging: “Aging in Place: Growing Old At Home”

Choosing a Nursing Home

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: “Your Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home or Other Long-Term Services and Supports”
• National Institute on Aging: “Choosing a Nursing Home”
• Pioneer Network: “Assessing a Nursing Home or Assisted Living for Person-Directed Care”
• The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care: “A Consumer Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home”
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: “The Nursing Home Checklist”
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: “Nursing Home Compare” / “About Nursing Home Compare”
• Georgia Map2Care

Choosing Another Type of Facility

• Georgia Map2Care
• Georgia Healthcare Facility Regulation (HFR) Division (Department of Community Health)
  • Fact Sheet about Personal Care Homes
  • Fact Sheet about Assisted Living Communities
  • Fact Sheet About Community Living Arrangements
• Pioneer Network: “Assessing a Nursing Home or Assisted Living for Person-Directed Care”
• The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care:
  • “Choosing an Assisted Living Facility”
  • “Choosing an Assisted Living Facility—Consumer To Consumer”

Complaints, Regulations, and Regulatory Enforcement

• File a Complaint with Regulatory Agency (HFR) in Georgia
• Example Format for Composing Your Complaint About a Nursing Home
• Federal Nursing Home Regulations
• Georgia Rules and Regulations for Nursing Homes
• Georgia Rules and Regulations for Personal Care Homes (PCHs)
• Georgia Rules and Regulations for Assisted Living Communities (ALCs)
• Georgia Rules and Regulations for Community Living Arrangements (CLAs)
• Georgia (Nursing Homes) Residents’ Bill of Rights
• Personal Care Homes May Not Use the Term “Assisted Living”
• Waivers May Be Requested for Residents Not Meeting PCH Admission/Retention Criteria
• Nursing Homes Must Report Incidents to HFR (form)
• Personal Care Homes, Assisted Living Communities, and Community Living Arrangements Must Report Serious Incidents Involving Residents to HFR (form)

Other Resources

• GeorgiaHousingSearch (Georgia Department of Community Affairs)
  • Community Resources
• GeorgiaCares
• Culture Change Network of Georgia