SAGECare (www.sageusa.care) is a division of SAGE the country’s oldest and longest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older adults. SAGECare provides lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) competency training and consulting on LGBT aging issues to service providers.
SAGE stands proudly with the LGBT pioneers across the country who’ve been fighting for decades for their right to live with dignity and respect.
Under the current administration, LGBT rights are under attack. But with key staff in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, plus our nationwide network of affiliates, we advocate for LGBT older people at the federal, state, and local levels. We:
Mobilize LGBT people and allies when our rights are at stake
Educate policy makers about LGBT aging issues
Release original policy briefs, publications, and infographics
Lead coalitions that integrate diverse elders into policy conversations
March and rally with LGBT older people and our allies
The first and only resource center dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older adults
By 2030, there are going to be 7 million LGBT older adults 65 or better. As our numbers grow, we want to ensure that we’re supported in every way possible—through training, technical assistance, and educational resources.
Knowledge is power, and the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging is our information powerhouse. There, we serve up publications, fact sheets, guides, and assistance on nearly a thousand topics relevant to LGBT aging, including:
Caregiving
LGBT inclusion and cultural competency
Elder abuse and neglect
Social security, Medicare, and Medicaid
Health care
Financial security and retirement
Housing
HIV/AIDS
There’s so much for us to learn—and share—about our choices, our needs, and our opportunities as we age. Whether you’re an organization serving older adults or an individual, the place to start is the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging.
One of the most important decisions we make as older adults is where we’re going to live during our senior years. For all older adults, affordability is often a challenge. For LGBT older adults, so is finding a place that’s welcoming—where we can feel free to be ourselves and be treated respectfully and compassionately.
With our National LGBT Elder Housing Initiative, we’re addressing these challenges on several fronts by:
Building LGBT-friendly housing in New York City
Advocating nationally against housing discrimination
Training eldercare providers to be LGBT culturally competent
Educating you about your housing rights
Helping builders across the U.S. replicate LGBT-friendly housing
SAGE’s National LGBT Elder Housing Initiative is generously supported by the Calamus Foundation and Citi Community Development.
The Parkinsons Association of Southwest Florida Inc is dedicated to promoting quality of life with people with Parkinson Disease (PD) and their care partners. By addressing the physical, emotional and social aspects of the disease through support groups for parkinsonians and their care partners, movement classes, educational programs. The programs and services are free of charge.
The Leadership Coalition on Aging (LCA), sponsored by Collier Senior Resources (CSR) was established in 2012 as a means for local health and human service providers to collaborate toward enriching the lives of Collier County Seniors and their caregivers. The coalition seeks to foster a community environment that promotes well-being through resource sharing, education, advocacy and community outreach.
The coalition members are local health and human service providers who:
Meet monthly and seek new solutions to serve seniors in our community
Host the annual Collier County Conference on Aging
Sponsors an Empowerment Series for seniors and caregivers with programs offered throughout the year including Alzheimer’s and dementia, death and dying (advanced directives, living wills, hospice, DNR)
Educates local candidates on senior-related issues
In 2013, the Leadership Coalition on Aging with the support of Collier Senior Resources and other local organizations sponsored the FGCU Study on Senior Needs Assessment, and hosted the inaugural Collier County Conference on Aging.
The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL) is a nonprofit organization serving older adults (age 60-up) and adults with disabilities. We serve Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota counties. AAASWFL is committed to connecting older adults and adults with disabilities to resources and assistance for living safely with independence and dignity.
AAASWFL is also the state’s designated Aging and Disability Resource Center for Southwest Florida. We provide information and resources for seniors and adults with disabilities. We also help their families and caregivers. AAASWFL can connect you with local resources like elder care, adult day care, housing assistance, home care, meals, housekeeping, legal assistance, personal care, and even volunteer opportunities.
We are one of eleven regional Area Agencies on Aging in the State of Florida. Nationwide, there are more than 600 AAA’s serving elders and adults with disabilities.
About The Area Agency on Aging
The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1978. Our mission was to improve the quality of social and health services, develop, plan and administer service programs, and raise funds to provide those services. We are focused on serving older adults and people with disabilities in a seven county area.
What We Do:
Our agency is committed to helping older adults and adults with disabilities to live independently. AAASWFL is one of eleven Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) designated by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Each ADRC is responsible for overseeing and providing services in a Planning and Service Area (PSA). Our PSA includes Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota Counties.
Our Mission:
Our mission statement, adopted by the AAASWFL board of directors in June 2018, reads:
Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida connects older adults and adults with disabilities to resources and assistance for living safely with independence and dignity.
Here in Southwest Florida, the Area Agency on Aging is known for:
Elder Helpline
AAASWFL operates the Elder Helpline (866-41-ELDER). This toll-free service helps seniors, adults with disabilities, and caregivers find support in our community. We are also the state’s point of entry for long-term care programs. Our staff screens applicants for the state’s priority list for government-funded services.
The State of Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs entrusts AAASWFL with managing government-funded elder and disability programs. This helps ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent effectively. In each county, AAASWFL distributes funds to a lead agency that provides direct services. We also develop an annual area plan that reflects the needs and issues of elders in our region.
The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. These leaders are responsible for the oversight of AAASWFL’s programs and operations. We also receive important community feedback through our volunteer Advisory Council.
AAASWFL is a member of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a). The n4a is a nonprofit association representing America’s national network of 622 Area Agencies on Aging.
Avow was founded in 1983 as Collier County’s original, nonprofit hospice. Today, Avow’s nonprofit companies provide palliative care consultations for adults facing chronic or serious illness, hospice care and bereavement support services for children and adults
Avow delivers a better quality of life by providing comfort, care, understanding and dignity to those who are seriously ill and their caregivers, as well as those mourning a loved one’s passing. We are a support system in our community, providing our services to anyone who needs them, including those whose loved ones were not in our programs. We also support those who are suffering the illness or loss of a companion animal.
Avow’s promise is to help members of our community provide care at home and live at home during an illness or death, surrounded by the people, pets and things they love most. We are teachers and guides, offering our expertise and loving support but always respecting the beliefs, choices and wishes of those we serve.
We often make positive, life-altering changes in someone’s life in as little as a moment. Therefore, even if our time with a patient, family member or community resident is brief, we bring it our full attention and focus on resolution and healing.
Help for Those in Grief
Whether you’ve lost someone who utilized our hospice care or not, Avow welcomes the grieving with open arms.
The following grief support services are available to anyone in the community…
Grief and bereavement support through individual or group meetings and regular follow-up.
Support for children who will or have experienced the loss of a parent or other loved one.
Help planning a private memorial service, if desired.
Community memorial programs including Butterfly Releases and Avow RememberingSM memorial services. Invite family and friends. Click Here To Learn More(Check ourcalendarfor the date of our next offering or call us.).
Pet Loss Support, for those who have suffered the death of a companion animal.
Support for the mind, body and spirit
Dealing with the symptoms of any painful or serious illness is difficult. Palliative care can help. Palliative care can be offered at the same time you’re receiving treatments for your illness. Its primary purpose is to relieve the pain and other symptoms you are experiencing and improve your quality of life.
Live your life more comfortably
Palliative care provides relief from distressing symptoms including pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite, problems with sleep and many other symptoms. It can also help you deal with the side effects of the medical treatments you receive. Most important, palliative care can help improve the quality of your life.
Palliative care also provides support for you and your family and can improve communication between you and your health care providers.
It’s never too early to learn about the benefits of hospice care. It’s not just for people in the last days of their lives. The reality is that, in many cases, hospice care can actually help people live longer. In virtually every case, hospice care brings significant comfort, peace and dignity to patients who are fearful, vulnerable, confused or exhausted from curative medical treatments that have failed to stop the progress of their illness.
Hospice cares is for people who are terminally ill and have an estimated lifespan of six months or less. Hospice is for anyone, of any age, who has a life-limited illness.
Each hospice patient and family has a team working together that supplements, but does not replace, the care provided by families, staff at an adult living facility, and other full-time caregivers.
Caregiver Support Programs
Caring for someone with a serious illness can be very rewarding, but it can also be difficult and overwhelming. Avow is here to ease your mind and help you cope. We offer a variety of services including support groups, volunteer support and help finding resources in the community that can help you.
Avow’s caregiver support groups are open to anyone in the community; neither the caregiver nor the patient needs to be associated with Avow’s hospice services in any way. Attendees may be parents, spouses, children or friends of people suffering from cancer, dementia, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, frailty or any other condition. Attendees can participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. Group leaders also help caregivers find resources in the community for whatever types of assistance their loved ones may need. See the link at the bottom of the page to view monthly support group schedules.
The Seniors Blue Book is Southwest Florida’s most comprehensive and reliable source to find and compare Senior Housing such as Retirement Communities, Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing. Health at Home options like Home Health Care, Non-Medical Home Care, Hospice and Senior Resources.
Mission Statement
The mission of The Seniors Blue Book and SeniorsBlueBook.com is to provide seniors, caregivers and senior professionals a comprehensive source of services, senior housing options, resources and information that enrich the lives of our elder population while affording those businesses and individuals serving that population a unique medium to present their products and services
Our History
The Seniors Blue Book was first published in 1983 by Clifton Chadwick. At the time Cliff was 69 years old and enjoying his retirement when his wife experienced a debilitating stroke. Cliff became her full-time caregiver, a job he cherished, but he was distraught that there was no place to turn for a comprehensive list of resources and services. It was from the love for his wife and commitment to his community that the Seniors Blue Book was born.
It wasn’t until fifteen years later in 1997, when Cliff was 83 years old, that Gil & Marion Hersch crossed paths with Cliff and the Seniors Blue Book. With a history in publishing and Gerontology Gil & Marion were very impressed with the publication Cliff had nurtured along and wanted to become a part of it. After Cliff was certain that Gil & Marion had enough integrity to take over the guide and keep intact the many free listings and helpful editorials that he had published, Gil & Marion took over the Seniors Blue Book and soon joined forces with their children Oliver & Samantha. SeniorsBlueBook.com was launched soon after their arrival in 1999.
Today
In 2009 Gil & Marion went into “semi-retirement” and the majority of the day-to-day operations are now controlled by Oliver. The Seniors Blue Book and SeniorsBlueBook.com has grown from a small 40 page publication serving one market into serving 27 markets throughout the United States. Our largest guide, South Metro Denver, is now over 300 pages. We print over 2.7 Million Senior Blue Books annually and SeniorsBlueBook.com receives over 500K page views annually. The Hersch family truly appreciates and values the opportunity we have had to work with and help the many communities we serve. We are looking forward to continued growth and providing this incredibly valuable resource to more communities in the future.
Senior & Caregiver’s Resource of Choice
The Seniors Blue Book and SeniorsBlueBook.com is the resource of choice in every market we serve. We are committed to providing the most complete and comprehensive resources available and are constantly working on compiling new information, expanding our distribution and enhancing existing categories. We list over 70 categories of information, most of which are free resources that support the community. We understand that there are many valuable services available, whether they are paying advertisers or not, and we are proud to support the communities we serve by listing all options available to our readers, not solely based on advertising. Seniors and Caregivers also love our senior activities calendar where they can find out about local events and activities, many of which are free, all of which are worthwhile.
Professionals Resource of Choice
The Seniors Blue Book understands the value of having a strong relationship with the professionals that serve the senior population, particularly with Case Managers, Social Workers and Discharge Planners. We now publish a special printing, just for Case Managers, Social Workers and Discharge Planners, that not only lists the comprehensive comparison grid information they have become accustomed to, but also lists address and fax #’s to help make their jobs a little easier. Additionally we offer a professionals networking calendar and a job opportunities page as well.
The Seniors Blue Book was first published in 1983 by Clifton Chadwick. At the time Cliff was 69 years old and enjoying his retirement when his wife experienced a debilitating stroke. Cliff became her full-time caregiver, a job he cherished, but he was distraught that there was no place to turn for a comprehensive list of resources and services. It was from the love for his wife and commitment to his community that the Seniors Blue Book was born.