August 20, 2015

Area Agency on Aging

Area Agency on Aging

About the Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging

The Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging (AAA) administers Older Americans Act programs, Social Services Block Grant programs, and other special grants from time to time for the purpose of providing social and nutrition services to aging individuals to help them maintain their independence. The AAA is responsible for developing and assisting community-based services that sustain, enhance, and promote the continuation of independence within a rural community setting. While some of the services are provided “in-house” by Three Rivers staff, some of the programs are contracted to service provider agencies.

Programs and Services

    • Information and Referral Services: AAA provides support to elderly persons and their caregivers by assessing their needs, identifying appropriate services to meet their needs, and linking them to the agencies providing the needed services.
    • Ombudsman Services: AAA provides an advocacy service for nursing home patients and families. The ombudsman investigates and assists in resolving complaints and problems identified by patients and families to ensure the well-being of nursing home patients.
    • Homemaker Services: This assistance is provided to people who are unable to perform day-to-day household duties. A homemaker assists a client with his/her instrumental activities of daily living such as light housekeeping, laundry, limited personal care, meal preparation, and grocery shopping assistance.
    • Respite Services: This assistance is provided to caregivers in order to supply them much-needed time to run errands, take a break, etc. In order to qualify for this service, the care recipient has to live with the caregiver.
    • Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Support Groups: Alzheimer’s and related disorders support groups meet on a monthly basis. The Lafayette group meets the first Monday of each month at Azalea Gardens in Oxford at 7:00 p.m. The Lee group meets every Tuesday of the month at Cedars Health Center in Tupelo at 7:00 p.m.
    • Title V Employment Services: The main goal of this program is to provide training and find part-time employment for eligible participants ages 55 and over.
    • Legal Assistance Services: Legal advice and representation are available to people ages 60 and over for certain types of legal matters (government benefits, tenant rights, consumer problems, etc.) The program is designed to help older people become more aware of and protect their civil and legal rights through activities and/or direct intervention by attorneys or legal paraprofessionals.
    • Limited Transportation in Rural Counties: Calhoun and Lee counties
    • Coordinating Council on Aging: The Council on Aging is an advocacy group that assists the AAA in identifying the needs of the senior population and offering suggestions on how to address these needs.
    • Mississippi Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program: AAA provides information, counseling, assistance, and answers questions related to Medicare, prescription drugs, supplemental insurance, Medicaid, and long-term care insurance.
    • Nutrition: This assistance provides nutritionally-balanced meals through home-delivered meals and congregate meals through AAA’s eight counties. Home-delivered meals are provided to people who are unable to leave home without assistance. Congregate meals are provided at specific locations and are primarily for mobile seniors.
    • Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP): The Stanford University Patient Education Research Center developed this program, which involves a six week, 2.5 hour class that is free to the public, as a collaborative research project between Stanford and the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. Several assumptions underlie the CDSMP:
    • People with chronic conditions have similar concerns and problems.
    • People with chronic conditions must deal not only with their disease(s), but also with the impact the disease(s) have on their lives and emotions.
    • Lay people with chronic conditions, when given a detailed Leader’s Manual, can teach the CDSMP as effectively, if not more effectively, than health professionals.
    • The process or way the CDSMP is taught is as important, if not more important, than the subject matter that is taught.

Community Transition Services (CTS) Program

Three Rivers also is as a Mississippi Division of Medicaid Community Transition Services (CTS) provider. Three Rivers’ CTS Program helps residents of nursing homes and ICF/MRs plan for a transition from a facility to a home in the community. Three Rivers’ provides the following services for 365 days after a person transitions:

  • Transportation
  • Crisis/Safety Planning
  • Life Skills Training
  • Caregiver Support (Peer-to-Peer and Individual Therapy)
  • Peer Support
  • Transition Care Management

Three Rivers also will provide one-time financial assistance in the following areas:

  • Security and Utility Deposits
  • Household Furnishings and Goods
  • Moving Expenses
  • Environmental Accessibility Adaption (IDD Waiver)

To refer an individual to Three Rivers’ Community Transition Services (CTS) program, please contact the Division of Medicaid at 1-800-421-2408. Please give the name of the person requesting assistance, the county in which the person lives, his/her phone number, and his/her address. If available, please have the person’s social security number, Medicare number, and Medicaid number as well. Also, please remember to note Three Rivers’ programs only serve individuals living in Calhoun, Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Monroe, Pontotoc, and Union counties in northeast Mississippi.

Notifying the Public of Rights Under Title VI – Nondiscrimination Policy

Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging (AAA) operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, and national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Any person who believes he or she has been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with AAA.

For more information on AAA’s civil rights program and the procedures to file a complaint, call 1-800-948-3090, e-mail kriddle@trpdd.com, or visit our administrative office at 75 South Main Street, Pontotoc, MS 38863. For more information, please visit www.trpdd.com.

A complainant may file a complaint directly with the Federal Transit Administration by sending said complaint to the Office of Civil Rights, Attention: Title VI Program Coordinator, East Building, Fifth Floor – TCR, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

United Way Partnership

Three Rivers Area Agency on Aging (AAA) also partners with the United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County on a variety of programs.

75 South Main Street
Pontotoc, MS 38863
Post Office Box 690
Pontotoc, MS 38863
P: 662-489-2415
F: 662-489-6815