Our Senior Centers offer programs of interest to active and independent older people. Seniors can choose to attend based on their interest in the offered programs and are expected to be able to attend the Center without supervision. Small fees are requested to cover the costs of some activities and a lunch donation is requested.

Senior Center Plus serves seniors who need assistance with activities of daily living such as toileting and eating, and must be supervised during their attendance at the Center. Activities are therapeutically structured to maintain functional independence and cognitive awareness. Participants are screened for appropriateness for the program and pay a daily program fee, as well as a monthly activity fee. High staff ratios maintain safe assistance to the participants.

When new participants visit a Center or arrive for their first Center program, they are requested to complete a Registration Form. This one page form provides vital information for: 1) emergency contacts, 2) continued funding and programming for the County, and 3) Center mailings and newsletters. There is no cost to register or become a member and participants receive an identification card. Once registered, participants can select activities, join classes and register for lunch and trips.

Certification for Howard Transit's HTRide is done via the Office on Aging, Maryland Access Point of Howard County Program. Simply visit us or call (410) 313-5980, and a MAP Specialist will complete the application for certification with you. The application is then faxed to Howard Transit and within 24 hours you are registered to make your first reservation for transportation to and from doctor appointments, social services, senior centers, and many more eligible destinations. The cost of this service is $2.00 one way. This may be reduced or waived based on income eligibility. For more information contact the Maryland Access Point of Howard County at (410) 313-5980.

Yes, there is help. Many pharmaceutical companies are now participating in Pharmaceutical Company Patient Assistance Programs. These programs are privately administered by individual pharmaceutical companies, require an application process, and are often based on income eligibility. The State of Maryland has implemented a free program called MEDBANK of MARYLAND, which assists healthcare providers and patients in completing the paperwork required to enroll in the Pharmaceutical Company Patient Assistance Programs. To find out more about how these programs work, or to get the enrollment process started call MEDBANK of MARYLAND, INC. at (410) 821-9262.

Medical Adult Day Care is a term for on-site programs that offer supervision, health care management and social activities to adults who are frail or with special disabilities that require constant attention. These services are provided in a protective setting by trained staff, who assist clients with socialization and activities of daily living, such as eating, exercise, and hygiene.

The Medicaid Waiver enables older adults to remain in a community setting even though their advanced age or disability would warrant placement in a long-term care facility. The Waiver allows services that are typically covered by Medicaid only in long-term care facilities to be provided to eligible persons in their own homes or in assisted living facilities. Under a Medicaid Waiver, the federal government "waives" certain requirements it imposes on states, such as the requirement that services be provided in a nursing facility. For eligible clients, the State will pay for covered services to enable them to stay in the community. Eligibility is based on three requirements:

• the clients need to be at least 50 years of age;
• their income must not exceed $1,635 per month with assets at or below $2,500;
• they must meet Medicaid's long-term care admission criteria.

A nursing home provides skilled nursing services as well as maintenance care. Individuals requiring only assistance with activities of daily living, but who do not require some level of medical care, and are not appropriate for nursing home placement. Staff training requirements are much more stringent in nursing homes then in assisted living facilities, due to the high level of medical necessity. Medicare only pays for skilled nursing services, in long term care facilities, such as nursing homes. Medicaid will pay for long term care for individuals in nursing homes, but they must qualify both financially and medically.

Assisted living facilities provide assistance with activities of daily living as well as medication management. They normally do not provide skilled nursing functions. Assisted living facilities are licensed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) and regulated under the Code of Maryland 10.07.14. Small assisted living facilities, or group homes, while licensed by DHMH, are monitored by the Office on Aging Housing Program in their respective counties. They all abide by the same standards of care and differ in the number of residents they can legally and successfully manage. Generally, group homes care for between 1 and 16 residents, while the larger assisted living facilities care for any number above 16 residents.

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Adult Protective Services, a division of the Howard County Department of Social Services, assists in the recognition of the abuse or neglect of adults, aged 18 and older. If you suspect that someone is being physically, emotionally, psychologically, or financially abused or neglected you can contact Adult Protective Services to have the incident investigated. Callers may remain anonymous, or if you wish to be identified, notification will be sent to you that your concerns were addressed. To contact Adult Protective Services call the Howard County Department of Social Services at (410) 872-8700.