Area Agencies on Aging in Pennsylvania: who to call in each of our 16 counties

What is an Area Agency on Aging, and why call one?

An Area Agency on Aging is your county's local office for older adults. It is usually part of county government and funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to help residents 60 and older. Pennsylvania has 52 of them covering all 67 counties. Most serve one county, and a few serve two or three neighboring rural counties together.

If you are just starting to worry about a parent, this is often the best first public call you can make. The staff can explain what help exists in your parent's county, visit your parent at home, and connect you with programs that each have their own rules and sometimes waiting lists. Many services are free, and some ask for a contribution based on income.

Who do you call in your parent's county?

These are the Area Agencies on Aging for the counties It's Your Home Care serves. Call the one for the county where your parent lives.

Phone numbers sometimes change. If a number does not connect, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging at 717-783-1550 can put you through to the right office. Each county page linked above also lists the hospitals, towns and nearby counties we serve there.

How can the Area Agency on Aging help your parent?

Here are the six things families tend to find most helpful.

A home visit for the OPTIONS program

The agency decides who qualifies for the OPTIONS program, Pennsylvania's in-home help for people 60 and older. A care manager visits, asks about daily life, and writes a care plan that can include personal care, home-delivered meals, adult day programs and, in some counties, home changes or an emergency call button. There is no income limit for OPTIONS, though many people contribute on a sliding scale, and there may be a waiting list when funds are tight.

A care manager

Everyone in OPTIONS has a care manager who arranges services, checks in regularly, reassesses at least once a year and adjusts the plan when something changes. A care manager can also help an older adult who needs someone to coordinate help but not paid services.

Support for you, the family caregiver

The agency runs Pennsylvania's Caregiver Support Program, which helps the unpaid family caregiver rather than the older adult. It serves caregivers 18 and older who look after someone 60 or older, or someone of any age with Alzheimer's disease or a related condition, as well as older relatives raising children or caring for an adult with a disability. There is no financial test to enroll, and reimbursement toward respite care, supplies and some home changes depends on the care receiver's income. See our page on the Pennsylvania Caregiver Support Program and our page for when you need a break from caregiving.

Protection from abuse and neglect

Under Pennsylvania's Older Adults Protective Services Act, the agency takes and looks into reports that someone 60 or older is being abused, neglected (including neglecting themselves), financially exploited or abandoned. For urgent reports, staff must see the older adult within 24 hours. You do not need proof to make a report, and you can stay anonymous. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.

The long-term care ombudsman

Each agency has a local ombudsman, an advocate who helps sort out complaints about long-term care, whether your parent lives in a nursing home, a personal care home or assisted living, or gets long-term care at home. Licensed home care agencies in Pennsylvania must give clients the local ombudsman's phone number.

A connection to everything else

Area Agencies on Aging are part of PA Link to Aging and Disability Resources, the state's network for helping older adults and adults with disabilities find services. PA Link's helpline is 1-800-753-8827, and there is no charge for its information and help. The agencies also connect families with senior centers, meals, free Medicare counseling through PA MEDI, transportation programs and legal help for older Pennsylvanians.

When is a good time to call?

Call when you first notice your parent needs regular help, not only when there is a crisis. It is especially worth calling when:

• Your parent, 60 or older, is struggling with bathing, meals, housework or getting to appointments, and paying privately for all of it is not realistic. Ask about OPTIONS.
• You are the main caregiver and you are worn out, or you are paying out of pocket for respite care or supplies. Ask about the Caregiver Support Program.
• You suspect abuse, neglect, self-neglect or financial exploitation by anyone, including a family member or a paid caregiver. Ask for protective services.
• You have a complaint about a nursing home, personal care home or long-term care that has not been resolved. Ask for the ombudsman.
• Your parent is coming home from the hospital or rehab and you do not know what help exists in the county. Ask for information and assistance.
• Your parent might qualify for Medicaid long-term care. The agency can explain the process and point you to the enrollment line for Community HealthChoices.

What happens when you call?

Someone answers and asks about your parent's age, address, health and daily needs, who helps now, and what made you call. If a program might fit, they schedule a care manager to visit.

The home visit usually takes an hour or two. The care manager asks about daily activities, memory, health, safety at home and the help family already gives, plus income information for programs with a sliding scale. Try to be there, and have your parent there too. Bring a list of medications, doctors and insurance cards, and be ready to describe an honest picture of a bad day.

Afterward, you will hear what your parent qualifies for, what can start, and whether there is a waiting list. Write down the care manager's name and direct number.

What if your parent lives in Fulton, Huntingdon or Juniata County?

Two agencies in our list serve more than one county. The Huntingdon-Bedford-Fulton Area Agency on Aging serves Huntingdon, Bedford and Fulton counties, so a family in McConnellsburg and a family in Huntingdon borough call the same number, (814) 623-8148. The Mifflin-Juniata Area Agency on Aging serves Mifflin and Juniata counties at (800) 348-2277, so families in Mifflintown and Port Royal call that office. The help is the same as at a single-county agency. Just ask which office or care manager covers your parent's township.

Does the Area Agency on Aging send caregivers itself?

Usually not. The agency assesses, plans and approves services, and most in-home personal care is provided by licensed home care agencies that work under contract with it. In some counties, OPTIONS clients can also hire their own worker. Ask the care manager which home care agencies they work with in your parent's area.

It's Your Home Care accepts OPTIONS referrals through the county Area Agency on Aging in the counties we serve. Families can also add private hours alongside the county's hours, and we keep the two clearly separate.

What if your parent lives in a different county or state?

Call the agency for the county where your parent lives. If your mother lives in Pottsville and you live in Lancaster, that is the Schuylkill County Office of Senior Services, not the Lancaster County Office of Aging. If your parent lives outside Pennsylvania, the national Eldercare Locator can find the local agency. Our page for families caring from a distance has ideas for coordinating care when you are not nearby.

How do you report suspected abuse of an older adult?

Call the county agency's protective services line or the statewide Elder Abuse Helpline at 1-800-490-8505, answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can report for an older adult anywhere, at home or in a facility, and you can stay anonymous. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

How do the Area Agency on Aging and a home care agency work together?

They do different jobs. The Area Agency on Aging decides who qualifies for public programs and coordinates them. A licensed home care agency like ours hires, trains and schedules the caregiver who comes to the house. Many families work with both: OPTIONS for some hours, private care for the rest, and the Caregiver Support Program for the family caregiver.

If your parent needs help before the county can start services, or more help than a program provides, we are here. Call us at (717) 695-2704 or request an in-home consultation. Our guide to how to pay for home care in Pennsylvania brings all the options together in one place.