Southwest Missouri Office on Aging benefits seniors

While growing older may mean that a person loses the ability to perform some of the tasks of daily living, one southwest Missouri agency can step in and help with those shortcomings.

The purpose of the Southwest Mis-souri Office On Aging, according to Ex-ecutive Director Dorothy Knowles, is to "give information to seniors, help them find the services they need and help them with the medical and financial benefits they're not getting. People know there are services out there, but they don't know where to go."

Knowles has been with the Office on Aging since it began in Springfield in 1972. Some of the places to which she directs older people in need are the Southwest Center for Independent Living, Project Share and the Division of Family Services.

The Southwest Center for Independent Living provides assistive technology and minor home modifications, such as ramps, communication devices and reachers all items that make living at home easier for the older person. Project Share provides seniors assistance with utility bills. Family Services can certify seniors for Medicaid.

SMOA is located at 1735 S. Fort. Its 20 employees assist people from 17 counties in Missouri. The agency was created by the Older Americans Act, passed by Congress in 1965 to establish local agencies on aging throughout the United States. Missouri has 10 of the nonprofit regional agencies, the funding for which comes from both federal and state money, as well as from business and private donations.

The agency's assistance to seniors begins by developing a case management plan, Knowles said. "Someone goes to the home of a senior adult to assess their needs and then comes up with a plan. The purpose ... is to see what services best fit their lifestyle. The senior is a part of the planning process."

Knowles said the most visible service the SMOA provides is the 40 senior centers the agency has established in the 17-county region. Seniors can go to the centers for a noon meal at no cost and also participate in educational programs, activities and entertainment.

Older people too ill to travel to the centers can have meals delivered at home. Another service for the homebound is the Checks and Balances Program funded by SMOA and carried out by JKI Enterprises. In this program a trained worker comes into the home and helps in reviewing bills, writing monthly checks and reconciling bankbooks and statements.

The agency also can connect clients with transportation services such as the Older Adult Transportation Service, Medi-Transit and Elder Care Transit, which at no charge to seniors provide travel to doctors' appointments and other necessary destinations.

In the Tax Counseling Program for the Elderly, which is cosponsored by SMOA, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Missouri Department of Rev-enue, volunteers trained by the Internal Revenue Service and the Missouri Department of Revenue help seniors with income taxes. Last year in the annual program, 94 volunteers aided 11,000 Missouri senior citizens.

SMOA also refers seniors to Legal Aid of Southwest Missouri, which can assist them in most civil cases and such legal matters as family law, housing laws, Medicaid, food stamps and utility assistance.

In addition, Access Home Health, a home health care agency, through SMOA provides a foot clinic service at the senior centers.

SMOA also steers seniors into the Employment Assistance Program, which provides job training and placement for eligible seniors 55 and older who need to continue employment or are reentering the work force. At the same time, the agency is a labor resource for employers.

SMOA publishes a bimonthly newsletter at no charge called the Vintage Voice. The publication addresses the issues and concerns of the older population.

Knowles said the biggest financial problem seniors face right now is being able to pay for utilities and pharmaceuticals. "People are living longer," she said. "Their retirement income hasn't kept up with the pace in inflation. Pharmaceuti-cal costs, for an uninsured person, are astronomical."

She added that while the state has been working on a pharmaceutical rebate for those who don't qualify for Medicaid and don't have private insurance plans, she doesn't see a solution to the problem in the near future.

Knowles said SMOA works hard to direct people to programs that allow them to stay in their homes. "We try to find a resource for any unmet need," she said. "Living at home is the most cost-effective way for us to care for seniors."

Enabling the elderly to stay in their homes benefits the state, she said. "A person who stays in (his or her) own home costs about $6,000 in state and federal programs. The cost comes from, for example, bringing someone meals in their homes, paying someone to clean their home and bringing a registered nurse in. But a person in an assisted living facility costs approximately $36,000-$40,000 in state and federal programs. The average cost of someone staying in this type of facility is a little more than $100 a day."

Additional information on the South-west Office on Aging and its assistance programs can be found on the agency's Web site at www.swmoa.com.