Useful Websites
Senior Services

Berlin Senior Services Department (Berlin Senior Center)
Provides information and assistance to seniors, their family members, and caregivers, connecting them to state and local resources. You can call the Senior Center directly at 860-828-7006.

• Health & fitness, recreational, and social programs to support independence and encourage community involvement
• Daily transportation services
• Daily nutrition program, including a congregate meal at the Senior Center and meal delivery to homebound seniors.
• Intake site for the Fuel Assistance program
• Foodshare Summer Drive-Thru

Friendship Line
A 24-hour toll-free hotline/warmline (non-urgent calls) for older adults and adults living with a disability, providing reassurance, crisis intervention, information, and referrals.

MyPlaceCT
A free resource from the State of Connecticut that helps seniors live life independently. Bringing together the information you need to live how and where you choose.

North Central Area Agency on Aging (NCAAA)
Area Agencies on Aging are private, nonprofit planning agencies. Through funding provided by the State Department of Aging and Disability Services, each AAA receives Federal Older Americans Act (Title III) funds and State funds that are allocated to elderly service providers through a request for proposal process. AAAs fund the following services:

• Social Services
• Nutritional Services
• Disease Prevention & Health Promotion Services
• Family Caregivers Support Services
• Adult Day Care Aide Positions (to provide day care services to victims of Alzheimers’s Disease and related dementia)

LGBT Resources for Older Adults
Find community centers, support groups, legal support, advocacy, community living and other resources.

 

Medicare & Medicaid

Medicare
Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older. You’re first eligible to sign up for Medicare 3 months before you turn 65. You may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability.

Medicade (HUSKY Health)
Medicaid helps with costs not covered by Medicare. Connecticut Medicaid plans are called HUSKY Health. Connecticut residents aged 65 or older, or who have a disability, may qualify for Medicaid coverage under HUSKY C.

Connecticut’s Health Insurance Assistance Program (CHOICES/SHIP)
CHOICES is Connecticut’s State Health Insurance assistance Program (SHIP). Free and unbiased services are provided to Medicare-eligible individuals, families, and caregivers of all ages and income levels. CHOICES provides the following services, in-person, by phone, by email, and through other accessible means, depending on the needs and preferences of the consumer:

• Free, unbiased, one-on-one benefits counseling on all parts of Medicare, including Original Medicare (Parts A and B) Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare Supplement, and Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D)
• Enrollment assistance and plan comparisons for Medicare Advantage and standalone Part D plans
• Eligibility Screening and application assistance with cost-assistance programs including Medicaid, the Medicare Savings Program, the Low-Income Subsidy/Extra Help Program
• Information on Medicare Preventive Benefits
• Information and referral for other state benefit programs, as well as other Long Term Services and Supports throughout the aging and disability services network
• Provider and caregiver education

Benefits Counseling
Individuals who receive disability cash or medical benefits (such as Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income, State Supplement, Medicare and/or Medicaid) may be able to work and still receive benefits.  Benefits counseling ensures that accurate information is received so that informed decisions are made regarding vocational goals, potential earnings and health insurance needs.

Senior Medicare Patrol Program
Senior Medicare Patrols (SMPs) empower and assist Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse.

• Actions You Can Take To Protect Your Personal Information 
• Don’t Be A Victim of Healthcare Fraud, Scams or Identity Theft
• Don’t Be A Victim of Fraud, Abuse or Scams: Tips for Medicare Consumers
• Guidelines for Shredding and Saving Personal Documents
• TRIAD Guidebook

 

Social Security

Social Security Administration (SSA)
Provides information and services from the Social Security Administration, including online services:

• Apply for Retirement Benefits
• Apply for Disability Benefits
• Apply for Medicare Benefits
• Appeal a Decision
• Check Application Status

 

Housing & Home Care

Find a Provider
Find and compare doctors/clinicians, hospitals, nursing homes, home health services, hospice care, inpatient rehab, long-term care, and dialysis facilities.

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 call 1-800-677-1116.

Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE)
The CHCPE helps eligible clients continue living at home instead of going to a nursing home. To be eligible, applicants must be 65 years of age or older, be a Connecticut resident, be at risk of nursing home placement and meet the program’s financial eligibility criteria.

Community First Choice (CFC)
Are you or a loved one living in the community and need assistance to remain there? The Affordable Care Act created an optional State Plan service which will allow eligible individuals to access Personal Attendant Care (PCA) and other services and supports through self-direction.

Community Options
The State of Connecticut offers a variety of services to help eligible individuals who need support to live at home or to return to community living. Many of the programs are administered under a Medicaid ‘waiver,’ meaning that Connecticut has received federal approval to waive certain Medicaid requirements to meet the service needs of older adults and adults with disabilities in the community.

Connecticut Home Care Program For Elders
This printable PDF brochure explains how the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders works to help individuals to stay at home instead of going to a nursing home. Many people in nursing homes might have been able to stay in their homes if they had assistance with personal care, cooking and cleaning.

Congregate Housing Services Program
Designed to assist older people and younger people with disabilities to live independently in their apartments, the CHSP provides housing combined with professional service coordination and supportive services, such as housekeeping, companion, personal emergency response, transportation, and medication management.

Talk to a Housing Counselor
Want advice on buying a home, renting, default, foreclosure avoidance, credit issues or reverse mortgages? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sponsors housing counseling agencies throughout the country to provide free or low cost advice. Search online for a housing counseling agency near you, or call HUD’s interactive voice system at 800-569-4287.

Elderly/Disabled Homeowners Tax Relief Program (Circuit Breaker)
Property tax credit program for Connecticut owners in residence of real property, who are elderly (65 and over) or totally disabled, and whose annual incomes do not exceed certain limits.

 

Caregiving

National Family Caregiver Support Program
Provides a periodic break for caregivers to regroup both physically and emotionally. Funds are available for a variety of services to support family members and other unpaid caregivers. Services are arranged through your local Area Agency on Aging.

Connecticut Statewide Respite Care Program
Offers relief to stressed caregivers by providing information, support, in-home assessments and services for the individual with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias. Respite is designed to assist fatigued caregivers.

 

Assisted Living & Nursing Home Care

Find a Facility
Find an assisted living facility through the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities and Connecticut Center for Assisted Living.

Long Term Care Ombudsman Program
Protects and promotes the rights and quality of life for residents of skilled nursing facilities, residential care homes and managed residential care communities (also known as assisted living facilities). Check their Contact Us page for contact information.

LongTermCare.gov
Resources and information about long-term care.

Money Follows the Person
A federal program that helps Medicaid-eligible individuals currently living in long-term care facilities—such as nursing homes, hospitals and other qualified institutions—successfully transition back into the community.

The Connecticut Partnership for Long-term Care
Information about long-term care, including how to purchase long-term care insurance in the state of Connecticut

 

Transportation

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT)
Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) is an important benefit for Medicaid members who need to get to and from Medicaid-covered medical services but have no means of transportation.

 

Food & Nutrition

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Formerly known as Food Stamps, SNAP helps eligible individuals and families afford the cost of food at supermarkets, grocery stores and farmers’ markets. The Elderly Simplified Application Project (ESAP) adds additional flexibilities to the SNAP program for seniors; scroll halfway down the SNAP website for more information.

Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs (SFMNP)
The SFMNP is a supplemental food program for individuals over the age of 60. It provides coupons to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, cut herbs and honey at authorized locations throughout Connecticut, include many farmers’ markets.
Elderly Nutrition Program
Provides nutritionally balanced meals, reduces hunger and food insecurity and promotes socialization, the health and well-being for older adults. For more information and to apply, contact your local Area Agency on Aging.

 

Accessibility & Disability

Durable Medical Equipment
This program provides equipment to help you move around: canes, crutches, walkers and wheelchairs. DME also includes equipment needed to care for you at home: bed pans, heat lamps or pads, hospital beds, special toilet seats and machines that help make breathing easier. Service available to Medicaid recipients only.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Counseling
Counseling related to special language, communication and socioeconomic problems unique to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families.

State Supplement for the Aged, Blind and Disabled
Cash assistance to people who are 65+ or who have a disability. In order to receive benefits, individuals must have another source of income such as Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, or Veterans benefits. People who are eligible for State Supplement are categorically eligible for Medicaid.

 

Employment

Senior Community Employment Program (SCSEP)
Serves low income adults age 55 year and older to re-enter today’s workforce. Participants are placed in temporary subsidized training assignments where they gain valuable on-the-job work experience and training needed to gain meaningful employment.

 

Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Alzheimer’s Association
Find help, support, and information about Alzheimer’s.