Aging Services Division Receives $1.4 Million in Grant Funds

OKLAHOMA CITY -- More than $1.4 million in federal grant funds was awarded to expand existing programs or create new initiatives intended to benefit the state's aging and disability populations.
The Aging Services Division of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services received four grants to expand the Living Longer, Living Stronger program, the Lifespan Respite Care program and the Aging and Disability Resource Consortium programs and to sustain the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act program.

"We are pleased to announce the expansion and creation of these programs," said Lance Robertson, director of the OKDHS Aging Services Division. "With the support of these federal funds, programs like these will help improve the quality of life for our state's aging population."

The Living Longer, Living Stronger program received $400,000 in federal funds to help ASD expand the Stanford University Chronic Disease Self-Management Program to more areas of the state. The expansion funds will also add a diabetes self-management component to the program, which encourages adopting healthy behaviors and will expand the program to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. The Living Longer, Living Stronger partnership has served more than 1,800 participants and expects to serve more than 700 additional people over the next two years.

The Lifespan Respite Care Program received $188,950 in federal funds. The funds will help those unserved and underserved who currently fall into the respite care gap and extend program eligibility to more people. Respite care provides a temporary break from full-time caregiving duties. This program will add innovation and build on the already successful Oklahoma Respite Resource Network voucher system, which currently serves more than 12,000 families statewide. 

The ADRC Options Counseling and Assistance award was $500,000. The funds will be used to develop and implement statewide standards for options counseling to assist individuals who have questions about their long term care options. Information specialists and outreach workers from the Area Agencies on Aging and centers for independent living will provide options counseling.

The ADRC also received $400,000 in federal grant funding, through Living Choice, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority’s Money Follows the Person program. This funding will be used to reduce reliance on institutional care, while developing community-based long-term care opportunities. Ombudsman will help identify long-term care residents who are able to live at home given proper supports.

The MIPPA program received $242,339 in federal funds. MIPPA targets Medicare beneficiaries who need extra help paying for their Medicare coverage by enrolling them into the Low Income Subsidy Program and Medicare Savings Plans. ASD and the Area Agencies on Aging partner with the Oklahoma Insurance Department to conduct outreach and enrollment for the programs and provide education about available preventive services benefits. To date, MIPPA activities have helped 5,507 persons to obtain a total value of $18,198,952 in benefits in Oklahoma.

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