Area Agency on Aging Southwest Florida's Magical Senior Solution

The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida has a way with seniors. Sometimes their way involves a little magic! In fact, whether it's real magic or having some of the most innovative program approaches that work magic, this senior-rich region is known for getting the word out and seniors into programs that assist them.

Sam Yates, the grey-haired host of the Great American Senior Show sat down with Norma Adorno, CEO of the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida to find out the secret behind the magic of helping hundreds of thousands of seniors in seven Florida counties.

Transcript

Sam Yates: 0:00

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another exciting edition of The Great American senior Show. I'm your gray haired host, Sam Yates, and we are back in Fort Myers. Earlier in one of our episodes, we had the opportunity to speak with normal adore No, she is the CEO of the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida. And we are back in Fort Myers one of my favorite places to be this region, as we mentioned earlier, is home to an estimated senior population that reaches into the hundreds of 1000s Compared to other regions around the state, very rich in senior citizens who need help. And the reason they're here is because it's a great place to be. But again, just being in a place that's a wonderful place to be is the answer to getting everything that you need. So we would like to welcome you back to the program, the needs of those seniors. Talk about the top needs we touched on in our first episode, but a recap of those top needs.

Norma Adorno: 1:06

So Sam, thank you for having me back. Our top needs here that we've received include housing assistance, housing assistance was our number three. We do receive a lot of questions regarding just transportation shopping assistance, case management, Medicare, and Medigap is our primary with health insurance questions, you know, helping maneuver and navigate through those waters of understanding the complexities of the insurance world. And, you know, there there are multiple services that we offer here and can assist our callers with to include health care, and also legal assistance. If there are any issues with elder law or estate planning, we have the resources available to help guide our callers that are in need.

Sam Yates: 2:05

And that elder helpline, it's it's really an elder hotline, because it covers so many different things go into the mechanics of that because literally, when someone calls, it is an assessment of what their needs are. And sometimes they don't know, what needs they have.

Norma Adorno: 2:25

So that's a great question. And and you're absolutely right. So making the call is the first step. That is what's going to trigger you know how we can facilitate and understand what those needs are, this could be your own personal need. This could be a need for a grandparent that you have questions about and trying to get them the care that they need. So several of the programs that we have here at the Area Agency on Aging include our elder and disability programs. There's an assessment and intake, we want to know if you're eligible for our government funded services. So we do complete an assessment. You know, our helpline specialists can screen applicants for the Department of Elder Affairs priority list for services. We have emergency Home Energy Assistance Programs, where we can also assess our low income households facing any type of home energy crisis, Home and Community Care. We can assist our elders and our older adults with disabilities and guide you through the providers that can assist you with those needs. We offer respite care, so caregiving for a loved one can be demanding so our agency is able to connect you with publicly funded programs that also provide relief and respite. We also have statewide Medicaid managed care long term care programs that we can answer questions for. So again, the caller might be eligible for assistance with the cost of an assisted living facility, or long term care and home care services, financial and clinical and clinical requirements also apply for this. And last but not least, we have also veteran directed home and community based services. So we are affiliated with Bay Pines, and this is part of the VA program which provides veterans with an opportunity to determine the care they need to live independently in their own homes. So Sam, the list goes on and on. And I haven't even touched on our community outreach programs. So the key is make the call and we can help assess and get you to the resource that you need.

Sam Yates: 4:46

You touched on the veterans program and I have to say I was at the the VA office that is literally probably less than a quarter of a mile from this location. Earlier today. I just stopped tend to say hello. And veterans sometimes think that only the VA can help them. But you're able to help as well. That is correct. The other part that you just touched upon is respite. And respite does not require you to be a senior citizen.

Norma Adorno: 5:22

So for the respite care, again, we encourage the caller to please call in so we can assess what those needs are. And then we can facilitate depending because each case is case by case. So we do serve the population of 60, plus and over and the disabled so if there is a need, then we will help you through that.

Sam Yates: 5:43

Throughout the year, we sometimes pick up the newspaper or here on our informational silo channels, whichever we happen to be tuned in to about someone being scammed and elderly person being scammed, whether it be a your grandson needs money, or let me sell you this lottery ticket and you only have to send me money. Elder Abuse, how big a problem is that?

Norma Adorno: 6:10

So elder abuse comes in many different forms. We do partner with the Florida Rural Legal Services, and they are able to help in multiple fashions. In regards to elder law, family law, any housing issues that come up, you know, the numbers are staggering, and the scams are everywhere, on our newsletters that we do share on our website, we also give tips on things to avoid, obviously, you know, to avoid scams, you never want to give it any color any of your private personal information to include your you know, your name, your date of birth, your social security number, you know, giving your credit card or your debit card information over the phone. So we can provide with those tips on what to do to avoid being scammed.

Sam Yates: 7:07

And I will pass on off the off the air a contact for you, gentleman who has written a book about cyber security for seniors. And I'll pass it on because he could become a good resource. But one of the interesting things that he pointed out was for our senior citizens, when they pass away, if they have cyber accounts of one sort or another, those can be hijacked, unless you leave your contact information and your your login information with a loved one. And we see that happening as a new way of scamming our elder.

Norma Adorno: 7:46

And that's a really good point. Estate planning is definitely essential and critical. And in Florida rule legal services is available to assist, you know these callers that that have those questions, and they can also share those tips with them on how to be prepared, you know, for when the time comes that if they do need to, you know, pass the information on to someone else, that that it's all available beforehand and not after the fact.

Sam Yates: 8:15

Every other year, I take great pride in showing up in Naples about June 15 Depending on when that happens. But it is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and the mayor there I think gloves to see me come in with a proclamation. And we're going to be doing that again this year. And if we get that proclamation on the agenda, would you like to go with me?

Norma Adorno: 8:36

Absolutely. Absolutely. Sam, just let me know.

Sam Yates: 8:39

We all you know, get us together and watch out, we're going to do some absolutely awesome things for the seniors here. And you know, one thing that I have to ask is future. You're also looking at planning the future for this organization. You're giving it great guidance, what do you see the future for your organization here.

Norma Adorno: 9:01

So the future we would like to see, definitely more awareness and connections and partnerships within the community, with our government and also providing technology that's available to our seniors to connect to the resources much quicker. So we do have a couple things down the pipeline and with the great support that we receive from our administration. We are looking at always enhancing our operational efficiencies, to provide the services sooner and quicker to the clients that are in need of those services.

Sam Yates: 9:44

And you mentioned off the air while we were talking, just getting ready for today's episode, that sometimes when disaster strikes, you are a resource.

Norma Adorno: 9:55

Absolutely. We are out in the forefront right now. Certainly southwest Florida experienced about eight tornadoes on one weekend morning. And it really impacted a senior community in a mobile home park. And so we were able to assist in the resource effort by attending with other agencies such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, in this relief effort to share with them these resources, so not only to help them through the disaster and provide immediate relief, but also if they needed anything else after the, you know, the unexpected, uneventful, or the event that happened,

Sam Yates: 10:45

which is, I think, yep, and I think that's an ounce of prevention goes a long ways. And believe it or not, we're in a by the, by the time we're airing this, it's going to be around a March timeframe, which means that we're really just around the corner from hurricane season. And that's something that you also are offering, I saw on the website, that you have hurricane safety tips and precautions,

Norma Adorno: 11:12

we do the hurricane safety tips and precautions, you know, so the seniors are aware. But also, you know, with these recent tornadoes, it's very unexpected in my lifetime, living in southwest Florida that we actually had or tornado touchdown. So I think we're going to regroup and look at tips on you know, if you're a senior and you're in a mobile home, and you get that emergency sound that a tornado is coming your way, what do you do, because for a hurricane, you have time to plan a tornado, you do not

Sam Yates: 11:48

know, it's just seconds, maybe minutes, but but you need to have a plan even for that. So I and I'll certainly be glad to lend some expertise on that when the time comes. I'm one that I volunteer way too much, but it's a need. And I would like to help fill that need. Always in our programs, I get to a point where I turn to my guest, and I say Norma, what other things have we not touched upon that you feel is is good for our seniors and those who will be seniors one day to know about,

Norma Adorno: 12:24

it's important to get involved, it's important to reach out to your local communities, we reach out to our local universities to connect the programs that they're currently educating students, and inviting them to understand you know, what the Area Agency is all about to understand the Older Americans Act, so we can make a difference in the future. So we want to be the advocate and the leader to groom and to train and coach, our future healthcare leaders of tomorrow, our caregivers of tomorrow,

Sam Yates: 13:00

and actually some of those folks who want to be volunteers, whether they be retired nurses, or wherever they may be retired from or maybe not retired, but they've got extra time. You have a board of directors.

Norma Adorno: 13:13

Yes, great point. We have a board of directors and we have an advisory council. So we are always actively recruiting specifically in our rural communities. We would like to have a diversified board and advisory council, you know, to include healthcare, Psych, psycho psycho psychologist to come in and and to help us understand how to tackle those cases where we're dealing with depression and social isolation and how we can best meet the needs of the seniors that are going through those issues. So yes, lots of opportunity. So thank you for bringing that up. Yes.

Sam Yates: 13:56

And I you know, I sometimes in doing my research and in talking to people, little birdies tell me things. Now, I know, I've been told that you actually enlisted a magician to help out during some of the COVID activities explained.

Norma Adorno: 14:13

Absolutely. So, you know, we had to get a little creative and innovative and a dear friend of mine, his name is Paul Draper. He is a magician has done shows on Broadway. Paul and I were able to work together to come up with magical shows to help those seniors that were isolated in them home in their homes, to help fight depression, to bring them a sense of community and unity with their families and to still be connected and bring some laughter into some of those days where they just felt like there were dark and dreary and never thought that they would ever get out of this. So the show's evolved. We had Paul was able to connect with his Broadway friends and we had singers. We had the magicians. And it was very interactive, and the seniors absolutely loved it.

Sam Yates: 15:07

And I have to say that while we are recording this program, here in almost the second week of February, we created something here in this area called Love Notes and roses. And it is a special program now in its third year, where we encourage schools, churches, Chambers of Commerce businesses, to make a handwritten love note, a Valentine's Day card that we collected. And through some of the the local agencies, the homecare agencies and North registries, we are in the process of distributing those to seniors who we all get Valentine's Day cards and other things. But, you know, they see the commercials, and they're thinking, everyone's forgotten about me. So we did that just brighten their day. And we have some other things that Norbert will share with you that we're thinking of doing for the upcoming year. But don't forget your seniors, we have covered a lot of material

Norma Adorno: 16:11

by utilizing the podcasts will Sam, this will reach a greater audience. If they cannot see us, they will definitely hear us. And getting the message out and socializing the services that are available to our seniors is the utmost importance. So I greatly appreciate you being here with us and getting our message out there to our seniors. We are here to help and serve. And it just takes one call, call us on the elder helpline. We're here Monday through Friday eight to five, our toll free number is 1-866-413-5337. We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you, Sam and your website. And our website is www.aswfl.org.

Sam Yates: 16:59

Norma thank you for being here. My goal with the program is to keep all of you as well as informed as possible. And we're going to be reaching out all over the state and some other locations that I can't talk about right now. But if you have someone that you think would be a great guest who can contribute to the well being of our senior population or those that need, please feel free to suggest it or even reach out to norba at the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida and chill make sure that I get the information. So that's what we hope to do. And Norma you're helping do it.

Norma Adorno: 17:37

My pleasure anytime.

Sam Yates: 17:39

For now. I'm Sam Yates, your gray haired host of The Great American Senior Show. And that's how our program ends