Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging offers resources

Those statistics have improved over the years: For anyone born in the United States in 2017, average life expectancy is 78.6 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With longer life spans often come problems associated with poverty, nutrition, transportation and general well-being. The Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging has been identifying the needs of senior citizens and helping them with those needs for the past 44 years. Susan Harris, executive director of JAAA, answered questions about the organization and its work.

Could you give a little history of JAAA and its mission?

Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging Inc. was incorporated in 1976 with the mission of identifying the needs of those citizens who are 60 years of age and older. Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging is responsible for developing and implementing a plan for satisfying those needs on a priority basis. JAAA also seeks to change those conditions which either directly or indirectly pose barriers for those who wish to live independently in the community and to participate in a full and meaningful life. Jayhawk AAA serves Shawnee, Douglas and Jefferson counties.

Area Agencies on Aging are the only agencies serving older adults that are named in federal law — the Older Americans Act. Older Americans Act services sub granted by JAAA initially were transportation, recreation and congregate meals. Current services include legal assistance, information and outreach, in-home services, home delivered meals, congregate meals and transportation.

In 1993 JAAA received state monies under the Senior Care Act. This program provides in-home services on a sliding fee scale based on income and assets to individuals age 60 and older. These services, also subcontracted, include attendant care, homemaker,and personal emergency response services. Senior Care Act requires 33% match. Currently both the administrative and the service allocations match are charged to the service provider agencies.

Case management, funded through Senior Care Act and Older Americans Act, provides a comprehensive annual assessment, determination of needs, development of a plan of care, coordination of services delivery and monitoring to frail elderly. This is the integral piece to care coordination for clients and non-duplication of clients between providers.

In January 1997, Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services transferred the Home and Community Based Services Frail Elderly (65 years of age and older) clients to the Department on Aging and the Area Agencies on Aging, per legislative mandate. This program consists of consumers who receive or are eligible for Medicaid and are 65 years of age or older and have a need for assistance with activities of daily living. Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging provided case management to approximately 400 individuals through this program, assisting with plan of care development and monitoring of services provided. The HCBS FE waiver contract was terminated with the implementation of KanCare during fiscal year 2013 and case management was given to the three managed care organizations for KanCare.

In October of 2012, Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging, along with the 10 other Area Agencies on Aging, were awarded the statewide contract for the Aging and Disability Resource Center. As the ADRC, JAAA provides information and referral, options counseling, and functional eligibility assessments to individuals of any age, income, or ability level. Medicaid functional eligibility assessments provided by Jayhawk as the ADRC include assessments for the Physical Disability, Brain Injury and Frail Elderly Home and Community Based Services waiver programs.

Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging is an agency designed by the state and federal governments to coordinate services. This entails planning, research, coordination and development. Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging acts as a single point of access to the aging network by providing direct services that include information/assistance, outreach, case management, nutrition, caregiver services, and physical fitness.

By partnerships with numerous community agencies, JAAA also coordinates the implementation of the delivery of services. The objective to providing the services is to foster independence in frail seniors to help them remain in their own homes as long as possible. Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging is one of eleven agencies on aging in Kansas.

Where is JAAA located? What hours is it open?

Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging has one main office in Topeka and satellite offices in Lawrence and Oskaloosa. The satellite offices are mostly landing spots for our staff that work in Douglas and Jefferson counties and are not open to the public for walk-in traffic, but are by appointment. The main office in Topeka is open for walk in traffic and assistance as well as phone assistance 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. At this time, though, due to COVID-19, the Topeka office is only available by phone until July 1, 2020, at the earliest.

Topeka office — 2910 S.W. Topeka Blvd., 785-235-1367

Lawrence office —2001 Haskell Ave., Lawrence, 785-235-1367

Oskaloosa office — 410 Liberty St., Oskaloosa, 785-235-1367

What groups do you serve?

Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging serves those age 60 and older regardless of income or assets, as well as their family members, caregivers, and loved ones. JAAA serves a resource for these individuals as well as professionals such as doctors and other medical professionals that need information, referral, and resources for older adults that they may be working with.

Jayhawk AAA also serves those individuals younger than 60 as the ADRC (Aging and Disability Resource Center), again regardless of income and assets, as well as their family members, caregivers and loved ones.

JAAA also serves any Medicare beneficiary regardless of age with (Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas) program where we assist with understanding Medicare benefits and options and also help to resolve issues that a beneficiary may be having.

What services do you offer?

Each AAA, which receives Older Americans Act funds, is required to prepare an area plan for its specific planning and service area. The area plan is a document that is prepared every four years and updated annually. It specifies the service objectives and activities that the AAA intends to achieve within a specific time period with the use of Older Americans Act funds.

The area plan is our agency’s “roadmap” for delivery of services using Older Americans Act funds. JAAA Advisory Council and Board of Directors review and approve the Area Plan. The area plan is submitted to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. Approval from KDADS constitutes approval of a contract between JAAA and KDADS for the provision of services. Title III of the Older Americans Act funds services outlined in the area plan is used to fund direct services — services which are provided directly by JAAA — and contracted services — services provided by the community organizations, such as health departments, senior centers, in-home care providers, nutrition providers, etc.

Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging offers a number of services to the community. These services are provided directly by JAAA or contracted with local providers. Most of the services offered are available through the federal Older Americans Act funding.

Services provided directly by JAAA include the following:

• Information and outreach services provided mainly by JAAA; however, some of this is contracted out to Jefferson County Service Organization in Jefferson County; CHAMPSS meals program is run directly by JAAA and utilizes grocery stores and other restaurants to provide the meals.

• Assessment and case management is directly provided by JAAA.

• Coordination and program development are direct provided services utilized for purposes of staying connected to the older adult population in the communities served and development of programs.

• Fitness program of tai chi is directly provided by JAAA — there is a wait list for this service; medication management service of home meds is directly provided by JAAA — this service allows for a comprehensive medication inventory and assessment to look for potential contra-indications and unnecessary therapeutic duplication. This is a comprehensive assessment and review of medications by a pharmacist.

• Caregiver support services of information and assistance, as well as purchase of equipment, and caregiver support groups.

• SHICK (Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas) — assistance with Medicare for all Medicare beneficiaries. Busiest time of year for this program is during the annual open enrollment Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 annually.

• Assistance with Health Insurance Marketplace for those folks not on Medicare.

• ADRC (Aging and Disability Resource Center) provides information, options counseling, and assessments for the HCBS KanCare waivers of Frail Elderly, Brain Injury, and Physical Disability. The ADRC services are open to any age individual with any income/asset amounts.

• CARE (Client Assessment Referral Evaluation), an assessment that must be done with anyone entering a nursing facility.

• Administrative case management service to help individuals qualifying functionally for HCBS KanCare waivers on FE, BI, and PD to complete Medicaid applications and redeterminations.

Other services contracted for provision include:

• Attendant care and homemaker services under OAA and Senior Care Act (Senior Care Act services are services based on sliding fee scale dependent upon income and assets while OAA services are donation based services); contracts are with various home health agencies.

• Personal emergency response monitoring under Senior Care Act; services on a sliding fee scale are contracted out to different community service providers.

• Information and outreach services provided mainly by JAAA; however, some of this is contracted out to Jefferson County Service Organization in Jefferson County.

• Transportation services are contracted with the three senior centers in Topeka and Jefferson County Service Organization in Jefferson County.

• Legal services are contracted with Kansas Legal Services and available to anyone age 60 or older.

• Nutrition services (home-delivered and traditional congregate meals) are contracted out to MOW of Eastern Kansas and MOW of Lawrence, as well as some provided through Mom’s Meals.

• Caregiver support services of attendant care, homemaker and respite services are contracted out to different home health agencies.

Carolyn Kaberline, Special to The Capital-Journal