News and Annoucements

Long Term Care - What are my options?

NWICA, in 2008, developed an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), a customer-friendly, single point of entry for information, access, and service for older adults and adults with disabilities, as well as their families. The Aging and Disability Resource Center assists those people in securing information and in assisting clients in obtaining those needed service within their communities.

The ADRC is a professionally staffed office that assists seniors and persons with disabilities in navigating the systems and choices for care that is likely to be long-term. NWICA’s Aging and Disability Resource Center supports older adults and persons with disabilities, as well as their families and caregivers, by providing useful information, assistance, linkage to services, and consumer-oriented education with the primary value of giving consumers options in long-term care.

The central activities of the ADRC are consumer education, options counseling, and planning for the future, with each activity intended to maximize each consumer’s opportunities to exercise choice and control over his/her long-term care decisions.

The ADRC is operated by Options Counselors, a group of staff who are:

Professional -- Options Counselors are competent and knowledgeable long-term care support experts.

Trusted --Options Counselors are objective and unbiased, providing support that allows consumers to make informed decisions.

Consumer-directed -- Options Counselors empower consumers and caregivers to make informed choices, maintain independence, control their lives, and remain in the community.

Culturally-Competent -- Options Counselors take into account the consumer’s culture, ethnicity, primary language, sexual orientation, and disability.

Flexible -- Options Counselors tailor the counseling to individual situations and to serve a range of needs, valuing creative problem solving.

Collaborative -- Options Counselors create partnerships with consumers and work with other programs, creating a circle of support for the individual.

After the initial partnership which brings services to an individual, Long-term Case Managers take up the tasks of providing support and long-term assistance, maintaining the same attributes as Options Counselors and adding value to the consumer through extended partnership. Case Managers provide regular routine visits, negotiate and arrange in-home services, monitor and promote consumer satisfaction, and remain a resource for as long as the consumers needs and wishes.

If you or a loved one are in need of information regarding long-term care options and planning, please contact us by calling 211.