On Tuesday, July 2, Tennessee’s seniors began seeing the effects of the recently enacted “Long Term Care Community Choices Act,” a bill designed to help seniors stay in their homes longer and live more independently.

“We’re already starting to see the tangible benefits of long-term care reform here in Tennessee,” said Long-Term Committee Chairman Dennis Ferguson (D-Midtown). “With these improvements in local aid programs, Tennessee’s seniors will have many more choices when it comes to how they live their golden years.”

Parts of the bill slated to take immediate effect this week include an expansion of Tennessee’s “Options” program which offers personal care, homemaker services and home-delivered meals to elderly and disabled Tennesseans that do not qualify for Medicaid.  These kinds of services offer not only hands-on care and nutritional assistance, but also social contact and vital safety checks on the welfare of residents.

“For those seniors without families nearby, they often find themselves shut-in within their walls of their home,” Ferguson said. “Programs like “Options” allow people to stay connected as well as know that someone is out there checking on them and ready to help.”

Another provision expected to go into effect soon will be an expansion of the State’s Medicaid home-based care waiver program. Currently only 3,700 Tennesseans qualify for Medicaid-reimbursed home-based care services, but soon that number will rise to 6,000 eligible residents. Home based care allows seniors to remain in their homes and live more independently. Through the current Medicaid waiver program, home-based care can range from part-time services in the home or day-to-day living assistance in an Assisted Living Facility.

“Home-based care should be an option for as many seniors as possible here in Tennessee, and thanks to this new legislation we’re starting to make home-based care a reality for more families,” said House Speaker Pro-Tem and Long-Term Committee Member Lois DeBerry (D-Memphis).  “These programs will ensure that people have access to home-based care services today, while we work on making fundamental changes to the long-term care system that will further expand access to these services in the years to come.”

Tennesseans interested in applying for these services should contact their local Area Agency on Aging and Disability through a statewide toll-free number at 1 (866) 836-6678. A complete list of the nine Area Agencies on Aging is provided in this release.