Florida Resources

These links focus on aging resources in Florida. For additional links to Florida web sites that have a caregiver focus, 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 area and advice on selecting a nursing home. Also includes Nursing Home Watch, which lists nursing homes that received unfavorable surveys (reviews) by AHCA. In November of 2005, AHCA launched the consumer health website http://www.floridacomparecare.gov. This website will report "performance measures on Florida's hospitals and ambulatory, or outpatient, surgery centers. The website will display the number of patients,charges, length of stay, readmission rates, mortality rates, and complication rates for various medical conditions and procedures in Florida's short term acute care hospitals."

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 Adult Day Care Association (FADCA): www.fadca.net. Membership organization for professionals in adult day care field. Promotes high standards and sharing of information.

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 Association of Aging Services Providers (FASP): www.fasp.net. Association of public and non-profit organizations providing services to Florida Elders. Goals are collaboration, advocacy, etc.

Florida Association of Area Agencies on Aging: www.f4a.org. State association for the eleven area agencies on aging in Florida. Works with the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Purpose is data sharing, coordination, and advocacy to ensure that resources are available to older Floridians.

Florida Attorney General www.myfloridalegal.com Provides information on consumer protection, crime prevention, and crime victim's services.

Florida Commission on Human Relations http://fchr.state.fl.us is the state agency responsible for investigating and resolving discrimination complaints regarding employment, housing, public accommodations and state employee whistle-blower retaliation. In addition, the Commission hosts a variety of outreach programs designed to educate businesses and individuals throughout the state. The agency also is responsible for registering all communities that are for individuals age 55 and above. The website includes a list of the 55+ communities by county and the list is updated weekly.

Florida Council on Aging (FCOA): www.fcoa.org. Statewide membership organization providing information and education to Florida professionals in the field of aging. Sponsors annual Conference.

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 Children and Families - Economic Self Sufficiency - ACCESS Florida http://www.myflorida.com/accessflorida/. Apply online for Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Temporary Cash Assistance programs. You can also check the status of an application that is being processed. Medicaid is a federal program administered by each state that provides assistance to low-income individuals who meet the eligibility criteria set by that state. In Florida eligibility is based on age or disability according to Social Security Standards and on income and asset limits. Financial eligibility changes annually and varies by program.

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. Click on Caring for an Elder to find DOEA's 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 Financial Services - Senior Resource Website: http://www.flseniors.net A resource for making informed financial decisions. The site includes information on healthcare, long-term care, life insurance, hurricane preparedness, and avoiding financial scams.

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 VA nursing homes in Florida.

Florida Division of Emergency Management: www.floridadisaster.org. Provides emergency information for Florida residents and links to the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA).

Florida Health Stat: www.floridahealthstat.com. Facility Locator for Assisted Living Facilities, etc. in Florida. Includes Find a Physician guide. Links to the Agency for Health Care Administration's Nursing Home Guide.

Florida Long Term Care Ombudsman Council: www.state.fl.us/ombudsman. Advocacy, training of facility staff, and on-line filing of complaints about long term 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: http://www.fpeca.cas.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.

Florida Telecommunications Relay www.ftri.org. "A statewide not-for-profit organization that administers the Specialized Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program for citizens of Florida who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf/Blind and Speech Impaired." Provides a Relay service (dial 711) that enables hearing and/or speech impaired individuals to communicate by telephone with others who do not have special equipment.

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 and city government web sites, 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.

University of Florida, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology for Successful Aging (RERC-TEch-Aging) - www.rerc.ufl.edu The Center was founded in 2001 to "promote independence and quality of life for older people with disabilities through technology."

USF Suncoast Gerontology Center http://www.med.usf.edu/suncoast/alzheimer "The Center was established in 1980 and is part of the University of South Florida College of Medicine. Our priorities are Alzheimer's disease, memory problems, caregiver issues and geriatric education."