Howard County Resource Guide 2018

O F F I C E O N A G I N G A N D I N D E P E N D E N C E P R O G R A M S w w w. h ow a r d c o u n t ya g i n g . o r g 47 Maryland Access Point (MAP) is the name of the information and resource assistance service of the Office on Aging and Independence that addresses issues and coordinates services for older adults and younger persons 18 years and older with disabilities. MAP’s main objective—help people navigate and understand very complicated public and private resource systems or what are also known as long-term services and supports. Information specialists assess your needs, provide resource information, and help you get connected to available resources. Staff is highly trained and has over 30 years of combined experience in the fields of aging, social work, and health care. Two staff are bilingual in Korean and interpretation services are available for other languages. Staff serves people by telephone, home visits, at senior centers, e-mail, through education and outreach sessions or a combination of the above. MAP Specialists are available for public presentations or events and provide education on topics such as preparing for the future, talking with family members about important end-of-life planning. MAP services are free, unbiased, and confidential. Tell Me More about MAP MAP is the “gateway” to Office on Aging and Independence as well as other local, state, and federal programs. Assessment of your concerns and questions and then connections are made to programs such as Family Caregiver Support, Medicare counseling through the State Health Insurance Assistance (SHIP) program, in-home assistance options, health and wellness offerings, senior centers and social day program options, transportation options, help with financial or legal matters, and other needed services. MAP staff work in partnership with many community agencies to help our consumers to connect to the right services. Types of partnerships we have in place are with the Health Department, Department of Social Services, mental health providers, crisis and emergency services providers, legal service providers, the foreign born community, food or in-home meal providers, in-home personal care providers, and many others. One partnership that needs to be highlighted is with Accessible Resources for Independence (ARI). ARI is our partner that provides disability-related information and resource assistance to the Howard County community. MAP and ARI specialists work in tandem to offer the highest quality access to information and assistance to the aging and disability communities in Howard County. Options Counseling – A Specialized MAP Service A specialized service offered by MAP is that of Options Counseling . If you are in need of long-term services and supports and are not sure how to start or proceed with the planning, a MAP Specialist can help you with the process.The Specialist will talk with you about your needs, available supports, preference, strengths, and values. Individual goals are decided with you along with determining which private and or public programs are available to meet your short and long-term care needs based on your income level. Here to help you plan for today and tomorrow... Maryland Access Point How Do I Reach MAP? Monday through Friday (non-county holidays) 8:00am–5:00pm 410-313-1234 (voice/relay) 1-844-627-5465 (1-844-MAP-LINK) (voice/relay) map@howardcountymd.gov www.howardcountymd.gov/aging www.marylandaccesspoint.info general resource searchable database sponsored by the Maryland Department of Aging