Elderly Affairs Division, Department of Community Services
City and County of Honolulu

The Elderly Affairs Division (EAD) is the Area Agency on Aging for the City and County of Honolulu designated under the Older Americans Act of 1965. EAD plans, coordinates, advocates for, and develops community based services to meet the needs of non-institutionalized older individuals 60 years and their family caregivers. EAD also provides Information and Referral services to help individuals and families navigate the system and gain access to needed services. Its mission is to help older adults lead independent, meaningful, and dignified lives in their own homes and community for as long as possible.
Area Plan

A Four-Year Area Plan for Aging recently developed for fiscal years 2008-2011 guides EAD in fulfilling its mission. The plan is submitted to the State Executive Office on Aging and contains information about senior needs, resources available, unmet needs, action plans, and resource allocation of federal, state, county and other funds to support programs and services.

Services

Currently, EAD contracts with 15 non-profit organizations to provide a wide range of preventive, supportive, and long-term care services for older adults and family caregivers that promote wellness, improve quality of life, and enable older adults to live in environments of their choice for as long as possible.

• Services for older adults include group dining and home-delivered meals, transportation and escort services, case management, personal care, attendant care, adult day care, chore and homemaker services, friendly visiting, telephone reassurance, housing assistance, legal assistance, counseling, interpretation and translation, recreation, health maintenance and promotion services.
• Services are also available for family caregivers to strengthen their capacity to provide care, reduce caregiver stress, and extend the time that an older adult can remain at home. Services include provision of information, education and training, support groups, case management, respite, and supplemental services.

Information and Assistance

Gaining entry to these services and other available resources can be extremely confusing which is why EAD has an Information and Assistance Unit that offers the following services:

• Senior Helpline (phone 768-7700) for consultation, information and referral to services.
• Outreach to provide information to entire community and locate isolated elders.
• Client assessment, referral to agencies and follow up on referrals to ensure linkages to services are completed.
• Home visits for individual consultation.
• Speakers, exhibits, and publications such as the Senior Information and Assistance Handbook.

The goal of the Information and Assistance Unit is to help individuals and families in making informed decisions about potential options given individual situations, needs, desires, and capacities so that the best quality of life can be achieved.

Growth of elderly population and future

The growth of the elderly population is unprecedented in history and many countries are struggling with how to provide and finance care for current and future generations of older adults who are living longer. The availability of publicly funded supportive and long-term care services is limited, so the focus has shifted from provision of costly institutional care such as care provided in nursing homes, to lower cost models which focus on prevention of disability, expansion of home and community based services, support of family caregivers, use of technology to enable independent living, and increased reliance on personal and community resources.

Coping with aging and disability or providing care for frail older adults can often be a challenge. We encourage you to take time to plan for the future and potential disability. Setting up your home environment, support network, transportation alternatives, financial plans, legal affairs, and advanced directives can reduce stress and improve future quality of life.

We also encourage you call your county Area Agency on Aging for information on how to plan for the future, or to find out what kinds of services and options may be available for yourself or an older family member. While there are gaps in what and how much is accessible, and much more could be done to increase the pool of low and no-cost alternatives, staff can provide advice, and help direct or link you to resources suitable for your personal situation.

Karen Miyake
County Executive On Aging
Elderly Affairs Division
Department of Community Services
City and County of Honolulu

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