Seniors: The Best Resources for You and Your Loved Ones

Local Resources | State and Federal | Health and Benefits | Technology | Legal | Additional Sites

Offices for the Aging

Clinton County Office for the Aging

Essex County Office for the Aging

Franklin County Office for the Aging

New York State Office for the Aging: An easy-to-navigate site that covers all of the bases, from healthy recipes, winter safety tips, glaucoma, senior housing, long-term care, to current news about Medicare. The Caregiver Resources Help for family & friends are great!

Local Resources

Playaway audiobooks
Dedicated devices just for audiobooks that don’t require any additional resources to enjoy. You get a player that contains an entire recorded book. These devices are available through your local libraries with a library card.

Senior Citizens Council of Clinton County
This site contains activity schedules and nutrition schedules for the Senior Citizens Council as well as recipes, news and other items of interest.

State and Federal

Talking Book and Braille Library
“The New York State Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) is a free library service for eligible residents of upstate New York who are unable to use standard print materials due to a visual or physical disability. Materials are mailed to and from library patrons at their homes at no charge. Currently, over 15,000 New Yorkers of all ages are registered for TBBL services.”

Eldercare Locator
“Welcome to the Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging connecting you to services for older adults and their families. You can also reach us at 1-800-677-1116.”

The Lifeline Discount Telephone Service
The Lifeline Discount Telephone Service Program is designed to make telephone service more affordable for income-eligible consumers. Consumers qualify for Lifeline by participating in certain federal or state assistance programs or by having income at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines.

U.S. Department of Education
The Division of Adult Education and Literacy provides funds to states for adult education and literacy programs. The amount each state receives is based on a formula established by Congress. States, in turn, distribute funds to local eligible providers to develop, implement and improve adult education and literacy activities.

Administration for Community Living
This useful site provides current information for older persons and their families, practitioners, researchers and students. We especially liked the quick index feature which provided easy referral to statistics about older people, caregiver resources and much more.

Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation maintains this link-rich website with information on a variety of public lands and water access areas throughout the state. Season passes and free access for seniors and people with disabilities are available.

Medicare.gov
The official U.S. Government site for medical information includes basic Medicare and health care information for seniors an their families. Includes information on health and drug plans and tools to find doctors and nursing homes.

Social Security Administration
For most Americans, Social Security will provide only 20% of the income they will need in retirement according to a recent report from the US Treasury Department. This site will help you to estimate how much you can expect. Users can order a benefits statement that will be sent by mail or download a Windows-based calculator to do the math.

Social Security Forms
The Social Security Administration’s website has many forms you can download, print and fill out. Available forms include applications for disability benefits and child’s insurance benefits, enrolling in Medicare, appealing a medical decision and requesting a waiver on an overpayment. Of course, you can also apply for benefits and take care of other Social Security business online. For more information, read Disability.gov’s Guide to Disability Benefits or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778) or your local Social Security office.

USA.gov
One stop at this site provides access to federal services and agencies for seniors. Topics range from benefits, grants, and loans to travel and immigration.

CrimeVictimsHelpNY.org
Crime victims often have legal needs as a result of becoming a victim of crime. Get information about your legal needs and what your rights are. You can also search their directory to find a trusted nonprofit legal aid program that may be able to help and find legal forms for matters that you can handle yourself.

Health and Benefits

Association on Aging in New York
The Association provides the state’s 59 offices for aging with professional development and education that includes the annual Aging Concerns Unite Us (ACUU) conference, webinars, regional caregiver forums and a fall Leadership Institute. The ultimate goal of the Association on Aging in New York is to provide offices for aging with services and support to strengthen and expand long term services and supports to individuals so they may age in place in the community.

BenefitsCheckUp
This free service of the National Council on Aging can help seniors discover state and federal benefits that they are eligible to receive. Answer the online questionnaire and receive an explanation of what benefit programs you may be able to apply for and how to do so.

Cancer Services Program
The Cancer Services program is administered by CVPH as part of a statewide initiative to provide breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings at no cost to eligible residents of the state.

Medicare.gov
The official U.S. Government site for medical information includes basic Medicare and health care information for seniors an their families. Includes information on health and drug plans and tools to find doctors and nursing homes.

New York Online Access to Health
This highly authoritative site covers the basics of aging and related health issues, and provides links to current information resources. An equally extensive section is devoted to Alzheimer’s Disease. NOAH is a joint project of the City University of New York, The Metropolitan New York Library Council, the New York Academy of Medicine, and the New York Public Library.

WidowNet
This is a surprisingly upbeat but no-frills site devoted to grief, bereavement, and recovery. WidowNet lists current information on recommended books and support groups. Sections such as “Getting Through the Holidays” and “Grief or Bereavement in the News” are especially pertinent.

Technology

Senior Planet
An array of helpful instructional videos hosted by Older Adults Technology Services from AARP.

DigitalLearn
If you are new to computers, haven’t used them for a while, are a little unsure and uncomfortable, or just need a bit of a refresher, DigitalLearn has the tools to help you tackle technology at your own pace and gain the confidence you need to succeed. Some of the courses are listed below:

Techboomers
Techboomers.com is a free educational website that teaches older adults and other inexperienced Internet users with basic computer skills about websites that can help improve their quality of life.

GCF Learn Free
This site, from the Goodwill Foundation, also offers many online courses in computer and technology skills. Just a few of the courses are:

Legal

Justice in Aging
“Justice in Aging is a national non-profit legal advocacy organization that fights senior poverty through law. Formerly the National Senior Citizens Law Center, since 1972 we’ve worked for access to affordable health care and economic security for older adults with limited resources, focusing especially on populations that have traditionally lacked legal protection such as women, people of color, LGBT individuals, and people with limited English proficiency.”

National Center on Elder AbuseThe website of the National Center on Elder Abuse, funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging is a prime gateway to resources on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Senior Law
This is a straightforward site where senior citizens, their families, attorneys, social workers, and financial planners can access information about Elder Law, Medicare, Medicaid, estate planning, trusts and the rights of the elderly and disabled. The site, which has received numerous recent awards and listings in retirement literature, is sponsored by Goldfarb & Abrandt, a NY City based law firm.

Additional Sites

Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative
The primary goal of this initiative is to make available expanded support to caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias (AD/D). These “caregiver support services” are activities or actions performed, provided or arranged to promote, improve, conserve or restore the mental or physical well-being of caregivers and improve their quality of life.

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
This site is a good first stop for anyone searching for answers about health insurance, housing, consumer rights, transportation, crime prevention, and lifestyle matters. A quick link to the New York State AARP is very useful.

Caregiver Support
The Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative supports caregivers of loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and connects them with local programs and services in Northeastern New York, including Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Warren, and Washington counties.

Facts Encyclopedia: Seniors Online
This site provides 60+ links to sites for seniors, including AARP and ThirdAge!

Administration on Aging (AoA)
“The Administration on Aging (AOA) is the principal agency of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services designated to carry out the provisions of the Older Americans Act (OAA), as amended (42 U.S.C.A. § 3001 et seq.). The OAA promotes the well-being of older individuals by providing services and programs designed to help them live independently in their homes and communities. The Act also empowers the federal government to distribute funds to the states for supportive services for individuals over the age of 60.”