BY SUE MacDONALD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When Tempo published a resource guide for parents in March, many of our "mature" readers responded with, "Hey, what about us?"
They asked for a similar guide to help maneuver the challenges of aging.
So, to answer their requests, here's a similar guide for seniors -- 70 numbers for the 65-and-over-set (younger, in some cases).
It's a compilation of organizations, phone numbers, books, services and Web sites to help make daily living and long-term planning a little easier for people as they age.
Use it now, or clip and save for later. You never know when it will come in handy.
Directories/general resources
Older Adult Resource Guide, with separate editions for Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, is a comprehensive listing of senior services, businesses, information, resources, organizations and opportunities. New 1998 editions are available from Cincinnati Area Senior Services (721-4330; $5.95 plus shipping, if mailed) and Senior Services of Northern Kentucky (491-0522; $5 or call for bulk-order prices).
Senior Care Resource Center, based at Deaconess Hospital, 311 Straight St., Clifton, features a multimedia collection of senior health information, books, magazines, audio and video tapes, online resources. Open weekdays and Saturday mornings. 559-2458.
Senior Resource Card, a free wallet-sized card with pertinent and emergency phone numbers for seniors, a project of Rockdale Temple Sisterhood. Fax orders to 541-0099 or write SRC, 5300 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati 45224.
Taking Charge: A Guide to Personal Care Decision-Making in Later Life, with explanations and listings of county-by-county services in Ohio, compiled by Miami University's Scripps Gerontology Center, is free from Ohio Department on Aging, (614) 466-3253. Updated edition will be available in August.
Senior centers/agencies
Senior citizen and elderly-service organizations typically provide a variety of services: meals on wheels, transportation, advocacy, case workers, senior centers, activities, homemaking, adult day care, jobs programs, referrals and more. Each agency's services vary, depending on scope and geographic area served. Among the local agencies:
Butler County Elderly Services, Hamilton. 868-9281.
Cincinnati Recreation Commission, 352-4047, operates more than 25 senior centers through Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Area Senior Services, 721-4330.
Clermont Senior Services, 724-1255.
Council on Aging of the Cincinnati Area, covers Hamilton, Butler, Clermont, Warren and Clinton counties, 721-1025.
Middletown Senior Citizens, 423-1734.
Oxford Senior Citizens Inc., 523-8100.
Senior Services of Northern Kentucky, 491-0522.
Southeastern Indiana Regional
Council on Aging, (812) 432-5215.
Warren County Community Services, 933-2235.
Legal services
ProSeniors, 105 E. Fourth St., downtown, provides legal services to seniors.
345-4160.
Meals on wheels
People 60 and older who can no longer shop or cook for themselves may be eligible for low-cost home-delivered meals.
In Hamilton and Clermont counties, call Cincinnati Area Senior Services at 721-4330 for a referral to the closest agency.
In Northern Kentucky, call Senior Services of Northern Kentucky, 491-0522, for eight Northern Kentucky counties.
Butler County Elderly Services, 868-9281.
Warren County Community Services, 933-2235.
Southeastern Indiana Regional Council on Aging, (812) 432-5215.
Enrichment for seniors
Check with local school districts, YMCA, YWCA and community college for activities, classes, programs and trips. Some sites offer discounts to seniors.
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), with chapters throughout the Tristate, offers educational/service programs, advocacy, 55 Alive Driving course, discounts and more. (800) 424-3410. AARP Senior Community Service Program, downtown, 721-0717.
Institute for Learning in Retirement offers seminars and classes for older adults. University of Cincinnati, 556-5994. Miami University, 529-1508.
Elderhostel, travel-education program for people 55 and older, sponsored through University of Cincinnati, 556-5994. Northern Kentucky University, 392-2424.
Retired Senior Volunteer Program (R.S.V.P) coordinates volunteer positions for people over 55 through Brighton Center in Northern Kentucky, 491-8303, Cincinnati Area Senior Services, 721-4330, and Warren County Community Services, 933-2252.
Senior Olympics, athletic games for seniors, is coordinated by Cincinnati Recreation Commission, 352-4047.
Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) recruits retirees with business background to provide expertise, advice to others. 684-2812.
Home health care
Call your local senior services agency or council on aging for information/referrals (see above).
Eldercare Locator links families with community services anywhere in the United States, (800) 677-1116.
PASSPORT program, 721-1025 or 721-7666, provides in-home services to people over 60 to help them remain independent in their homes.
ESP (Elderly Services Program), 721-7670 funded by Hamilton County tax levy, provides a variety of home-based services to keep people 60 and over independent in their own homes.
United Way Information and Referral, provides referrals to a variety of social services in Tristate. 721-7900.
Transportation
Check with the senior agency, senior center, retirement center, social service center or hospital in your neighborhood.
Major agencies that provide transportation include:
Access, 632-7590, transportation for people with disabilities in the city of Cincinnati.
Queen City Metro, 621-4455. Discounts for riders 65 and older.
Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK), 331-8265. Discounts for older riders.
C.A.R.T., 724-7433, transportation within Clermont County.
American Red Cross, 579-3045, provides transportation to hospitals, clinics or treatment centers by referral only. Requires advance notice.
Senior Services of Northern Kentucky, 292-7945, covers Boone, Kenton, Campbell counties.
Cincinnati Area Senior Services, 721-4330.
Butler County Metro, 737-6634.
Warren County Transit, (800) 838-7433.
Special services/caregivers
Alois Alzheimer's Center in Greenhills offers regular educational programs for caregivers. 605-1000.
Alzheimer's Disease Association, 644 Linn St., Queensgate, offers support groups and educational programs for caregivers. 721-4284.
Caregiver Assistance Network, which sponsors support groups for caregivers at area churches, and Caregiver CAREline, a hot line referral service for caregivers, are provided by Catholic Social Services of Southwest Ohio. CAREline is 929-4483.
Emergency numbers
Elder Abuse hotline, 24-hour hot line staffed by Hamilton County Department of Human Services, 421-5433. (In other counties, call your county office and ask for Adult Protective Services).
Cincinnati Drug & Poison Information Center, 558-5111 or (800) 558-5111.
Kentucky Regional Poison Center, (800) 722-5725.
Indiana Poison Control Center, (800) 382-9097.
Ask-A-Nurse, 24-hour hot line for health information, staffed by registered nurses and operated by TriHealth. 569-5400.
University Hospital Psychiatric Services/Mobile Crisis Team for mental illness/psychiatric emergencies, 558-8577.
Suicide Prevention hot line, operated by Talbert House, 281-2273.
Health insurance/Medicare
Medicare Information, (800) 638-6833.
Ohio Department of Insurance, (614) 644-2658 or http://www.state.oh.us/ins.
Kentucky Insurance Department, (502) 564-3630.
Indiana Department of Insurance, (317) 232-2385.
PASSPORT (Pre-Admission Screening System Providing Options and Resoures Today), 721-1025 or 721-7666, screens and provides in-home services to eligible people over 60 to keep them independent in their own homes; covers Hamilton, Butler, Clinton, Clermont and Warren counties.
Social Security
Social Security Administration English and Spanish), (800) 772-1213.
Hot lines/Web sites
National Institute on Aging Information Center, (800) 222-2225 or Web site http://www.nih.gov/nia.
American Diabetes Association, (800) 342-2383, or http://www.diabetes.org.
American Cancer Society, (800) 227-2345 or http://www.cancer.org.
National Cancer Institute, (800) 422-6237.
Women's Health Initiative, large, federally funded study of women's health, University of Cincinnati office, 558-6062.
American Heart Association, (513) 281-4048 or http://www.americanheart.org.
