How services for older adults work in AtlantaA short guide: who to call first and what to expect.
Start with one call.Empowerline, 404-463-3333, is the Atlanta region's help line for older adults, people with disabilities and caregivers. They ask what is hardest right now (eating, bathing, getting around, paying bills) and connect you to meals, help at home, rides and caregiver support in your county. If you are calling for a parent, have their age and county ready.
For meals,Meals On Wheels Atlanta, 404-351-3889, and county programs bring food to people who can't get out. There is often a waiting list. Sign up anyway, because it moves.
For help with Medicare, free counselors who sell nothing help you pick a plan and check whether you can get help paying premiums and drug costs. Call 866-552-4464 and choose option 4.
For help at home, Medicaid has programs that pay for an aide so you can stay out of a nursing home. Empowerline does the first screening. The wait can be long, so apply early.
For property taxes, older homeowners can get large tax breaks. You have to apply at your county tax office, usually by April 1.
For legal questions, Georgia Senior Legal Aid gives free advice by phone to people 60 and older at 404-389-9992.
If someone is hurting, neglecting or stealing from an older adult, call Adult Protective Services at 866-552-4464. For memory loss, the Alzheimer's Association answers day and night at 800-272-3900.
G.G. Rhodes Wesley Woods, is a nonprofit nursing and rehab home near Emory University that has cared for older adults since 1904. It gives long-term nursing care, short-term rehab after a hospital stay, stroke recovery therapy, a secure memory care unit for people with Alzheimer's, and an on-site dialysis clinic for about 150 residents.
Viridian Towers, which used to be called Wesley Woods Towers, is a retirement community for people age 62 and older in Atlanta's Druid Hills area. It offers apartments with several floor plans and a personal care floor for people who need daily help. Wesley Woods Senior Living runs it, and Emory owns it.
Empowerline is run by the Atlanta Regional Commission. It helps older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers in metro Atlanta. You can call and talk to a certified counselor for free, or search a database of local services.
The DeKalb County Office of Aging helps adults 60 and older, and their caregivers, live safely and stay active. It runs case management, meals at home and at senior centers, in-home help, rides to senior centers, and seven senior centers. Call the main number to ask about services.
This is a neighborhood senior center run by the DeKalb County Office of Aging. It is a place for people 60 and older to take part in fitness, wellness, arts and technology activities, go on field trips, and eat a free weekday lunch. Members must live in DeKalb County.
This is the DeKalb County government department that connects families to help at every age, from babies to seniors. It runs services for older adults, programs for youth, rides for seniors, and grants for nonprofits. Call the main number to find the right office.
The Division of Aging Services is part of Georgia's Department of Human Services. It helps older Georgians and adults with disabilities with help at home, meals, Medicare questions, legal help, and reports of abuse. Most services are set up through your local Area Agency on Aging, and one main phone line connects you.
G. Rhodes is a nonprofit nursing home group that has served older adults in metro Atlanta for over 120 years. The Atlanta home on Boulevard SE offers round-the-clock nursing care for long stays, short stays to recover after surgery or illness, and therapy and rehab. It also runs garden and music programs for the seniors who stay there.
Jewish HomeLife is an Atlanta nonprofit that has cared for older adults since 1951. It offers senior apartments, assisted living, memory care, nursing care, rehab, home care, and hospice. It also runs free webinars and a caregiver support group for families.
South Fulton Senior Services is a nonprofit for adults age 60 and older in South Fulton County. Case managers help people line up services like home delivered meals, in-home help and rides. The group also oversees four neighborhood senior centers and signs up volunteers.
The Administration for Community Living is a federal agency that funds and oversees programs helping older adults and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities. Its Region IV office, covering Georgia and seven other Southeastern states, is based in Atlanta, but it mainly works behind the scenes with state and local aging and disability agencies. People looking for direct help, such as meals, caregiver support, or disability services, are usually connected to local programs through the Eldercare Locator hotline.
HopeWorks is a Christ-centered nonprofit that has helped widows and seniors with low incomes since 1984. It does critical and small home repairs, and it fixes or replaces gas furnaces and gas water heaters so people can stay safely in their homes. It also holds a monthly Senior Fellowship gathering.
Clairmont Oaks is an affordable apartment building in Decatur for older adults, age 62 and up. Rent includes utilities, and residents get on-site maintenance, laundry on every floor, courtesy transportation, and community activities.
Calvin Court is a senior apartment building in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. It is for active, independent adults age 62 and older with low or fixed incomes. Rent is set by income, and the building has fitness, activity and spiritual life programs.
EnABLE Home Solutions is a team led by a licensed occupational therapist, Cindy Lourie. She looks at how a person moves and lives at home, then suggests changes to make the home safer and easier to use. She can also connect families with handymen, equipment suppliers and contractors to do the work.
Lutheran Towers is a faith-based nonprofit that runs a 15-story apartment building for seniors in Midtown Atlanta. It rents one-bedroom and studio apartments to people 62 and older, and rent includes most utilities. Residents also get free food programs on site and activities and wellness programs.
AgeWell Atlanta is a central phone and web contact for older adults and their families. Its staff help people find at-home care, counseling, rides, care planning and senior living options, working with partner agencies such as JF&CS, Aviv Older Adult Services and Jewish HomeLife.
East Lake Family YMCA is a neighborhood Y at 275 Eva Davis Way in Atlanta. It serves families in East Lake, Atlanta and DeKalb County. It has a gym, pools and a wellness center, plus after-school care, camps, swim lessons, youth sports, teen programs and programs for older adults.
The Decatur Family YMCA is a community gym and family center on Clairemont Avenue that opened in 1946. It has an indoor pool, gym, indoor track and wellness center. It also offers kids' camps, swim lessons, youth sports, teen programs, a Play Center for childcare and programs for older adults.
The Andrew & Walter Young Family YMCA is a neighborhood Y on Campbellton Road. It has been serving East Point, College Park, Hapeville, and West End since 1959. It offers swim lessons, afterschool, camps, youth sports, teen programs, early learning, and fitness classes.
