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Florida ResourcesThese links have a caregiver focus. For additional links to web sites that focus on aging resources in Florida, click here. Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA): www.fdhc.state.fl.us. AHCA licenses nursing homes in Florida. Click on Nursing Home Guide for facility comparisons by county or other area. Also includes Nursing Home Watch, which lists nursing homes that received unfavorable surveys (reviews) by AHCA. Claude Pepper Foundation: www.claudepepper.org. Foundation started by aging advocate Senator Claude Pepper to provide support to the Pepper Center, Library and Institute at Florida State University occasionally funds other projects. Florida Affordable Assisted Living: www.FloridaAffordableAssistedLiving.org. Site was created by Florida Coming Home Program as a clearinghouse of assisted living information for consumers, operators, and developers. Includes Find a Facility. Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST): www.faast.org. Non-profit organization promotes awareness and access to assistive devices and technology to enhance lives of Floridians with disabilities. Web site includes state and regional centers, FAAST toll-free number, disability links, and product recycling center (buy and sell). Florida Assisted Living Affiliation (FALA): www.falausa.com. Professional membership organization promoting assisted living as a long term care choice. Includes links to national organizations with consumer information. Florida Attorney General: www.myfloridalegal.com. Provides information on consumer protection, crime prevention, and crime victim's services. For identity theft, go to www.myfloridalegal.com/identitytheft. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Consumer Services: www.800helpfla.com. Florida state agency that serves as clearinghouse for consumer complaints. Learn what types of businesses are regulated by this agency, file a complaint online, learn about scams, use A to Z guide to state agencies by topic, and click on Other Great Consumer Resources for links. Call 1-800-HelpFla (1-800-435-7352) for questions not answered on the web site. Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA): www.state.fl.us/doea. State agency which oversees many government-funded services to Florida elders. Click on "Publications" for DOEA's Elder Update newsletter online and the Elder Law Handbook (information about laws that affect Florida elders). Click on "Caring for an Elder" to find a Consumer Resource Guide (disease information, caregiver support, etc.) and on "SHINE" (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Seniors) for information and Prescription Assistance Fact Sheets. Another way to access the DOEA web site is to use the Florida state web site, My Florida.com. Click on www.myflorida.com, then on Find an Agency at the top of the home page, followed by Elder Affairs. The same process can be used for other state agencies. See My Florida.com, listed below, for details. Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles: www.hsmv.state.fl.us. Click on "Driver License", followed by "Driver License Forms", then on "Report a Driver" for form to report a driver whose ability is questionable. Click on "Online Forms", then on "Disabled Parking Placard" for form to apply for permit to park in disabled parking spaces. Site lists driver license offices and tax collectors by county. Florida Department of Insurance: www.doi.state.fl.us. Read consumer guides online or order booklets such as Options for Lifelong Care, Medicare Supplement, and HMO information. Florida Department of Veterans Affairs: www.floridavets.org. Goal is stated as advocacy for veterans. Web site includes listing of state veterans nursing homes. Florida Division of Emergency Management: www.floridadisaster.org. Provides emergency information for Florida residents and links to the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). Florida Long Term Care Ombudsman Council: www.state.fl.us/ombudsman. Advocacy, training of facility staff, and on-line filing of complaints about longterm care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Florida. Includes Residents Rights for persons living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Florida Medicaid.Com: www.floridamedicaid.com. This site, sponsored by Elderzone, explains eligibility for Medicaid coverage of nursing home care, legal documents to have in place in case of incapacity, etc. Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging: www.fpeca.usf.edu. "The Center conducts research and collects and analyzes information about long-term care, transportation, health care, employment and income security, housing, Social Security, social services, nutrition, and other areas that significantly affect the daily lives of our elders." Florida Silver-Haired Legislature: www.fshl.org. Organization informs public and elected officials about issues critical to seniors. Delegates meet annually to pass resolutions sent to lawmakers. Older Floridians are invited to join FSHL. My Florida.com: www.myflorida.com. This is the Florida government site. Use it to access Florida state agency sites without having to remember their web addresses. Click on Find an Agency at the top of the home page, then pick an agency such as Elder Affairs, Insurance, Emergency Management, or Highway Safety. Click on "Online Sunshine" for a guide to the Legislature. On the home page, click on "Floridian" for a list of subjects such as Elders and Retirement and on "Visitors" for a list of Florida attractions. There are also links to county governments, a guide to state parks, cultural information, and other features. Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy: www.pepperinstitute.org. The Pepper Institute, located at Florida State University, provides research on aging issues in fields of demographics, social work, regional planning, etc. |
