Links and Help Lines
Below is a list of links to valuable resources for the elder community.
A non-profit membership organization of persons 50 and older devoted to addressing their needs and interests.
Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
Responsible for the administration of the Medicaid program, for the licensure and regulation of health facilities and for providing information to Floridians about the quality of the health care they receive in Florida.
- Florida Health Finder
A health information site of AHCA that offers information to Florida consumers for medical resources, including a facility search and compare feature.
A volunteer based health organization offering care and support for all those affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
A national, non-profit, non-partisan education and advocacy organization that works to ensure fair access to Medicare and to quality health care. This advocacy group focuses on the needs of Medicare beneficiaries, people with chronic conditions, and those in need of long term care.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
A federal agency that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and health insurance portability standards.
The designated protection and advocacy system for individuals with disabilities in the State of Florida.
Florida’s Elder Help Line Toll-Free 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337)
A hotline for information about the resources and activities that are available to Florida’s senior residents. This helpline provides direct access to names and numbers of agencies and organizations that can immediately assist or facilitate long-term assistance.
Florida’s Senior Legal Help Line Toll-Free 1-888-895-7873
Provides free legal advice and brief services by telephone to eligible Florida residents age 60 and older for civil (not criminal) legal problems.
Central intake and referral point for all reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children, disabled adults, and the elderly.
Florida Affordable Assisted Living
A program managed by the Elderly Housing Unit within the Department of Elder Affairs as a part of the Communities for a Lifetime initiative. This resource is a comprehensive clearinghouse of information for seniors looking for housing as well as assisted living consumers, operators and developers.
Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
Statewide association representing mission-driven providers of quality elder care services and housing. Representing and promoting the common interests of continuing care retirement communities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and affordable supportive housing members through advocacy, education, leadership development and share services to enhance their ability to serve older or disabled adults.
Florida Assisted Living Association
Professional organization representing the owners and operators of assisted living communities.
The Florida Bar Referral service has specialty low-fee panels for the elderly, and those eligible may qualify for a free 30 minute initial consultation. The Florida Bar also offers directories for Pro Bono/Legal Aid services available in Florida.
Florida Department of Elder Affairs
Primary state agency responsible for administering human services programs to benefit Florida’s elder population.
Florida Department of Children & Families
A state agency that provides a wide variety of services including facilitating an abuse hotline.
The state agency charged with promoting and protecting the health and safety of all Floridians and responsible for licensing Florida healthcare professionals.
Florida Health Care Association
Advocacy organization for long-term care providers and the elderly residents they serve.
Organization developed to improve the quality of life and work in elder care settings in Florida through creating environments that support elders and those closest to them through a culture that is life-affirming, satisfying, humane and meaningful.
Florida State Guardianship Association
This is a nonprofit corporation, founded in 1983 for the improvement of guardianship services, dedicated to promoting the protection, dignity, and value of incapacitated persons through ethics, advocacy, and the dissemination of information.
National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center
Federally-funded organization that provides support, technical assistance and training to the 53 State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs and their statewide networks of almost 600 regional (local) programs.
National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
(Click on “State Ombudsmen” to search for Ombudsman Programs in all 50 states)
A national nonprofit organization of consumers and advocates who define and achieve quality for people with long-term care needs.
This group advocates before the courts, Congress and federal agencies to promote the independence and well-being of low-income elderly and disabled Americans.
This website is provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and it lists detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country.
National group formed in 1997 by a small group of prominent professionals in long-term care to advocate for person-directed care. They seek to improve the quality of life and work in elder care settings in Florida through creating environments that support elders and those closest to them through a culture that is life-affirming, satisfying, humane and meaningful.
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
Administration for Community Living (ACL) brings together the efforts and achievements of the Administration on Aging, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the HHS Office on Disability to serve as the Federal agency responsible for increasing access to community supports, while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities across the lifespan. ACL focuses on maximizing the independence, well-being, and health of older adults, people with disabilities across the lifespan, and their families and caregivers.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
This is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress by investigating how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars.
