One-stop service center planned for elderly

A kind of one-stop service center is in the works for older North Carolina residents and those with disabilities.

Centers like the one planned for Raleigh, will allow elderly people to access information on the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, sign up for Meals on Wheels and look up employment options.

Such centers are being developed across the country with grants from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The idea is to avoid a trek from agency to agency, either in person or on the phone -- a common frustration for older people. The Raleigh center will tentatively be called Community Resource Connections for Aging and Disabilities.

"Our overarching goal is that people of all ages and their families have the opportunity to live in inclusive, responsive communities where they have choices and control over the services they receive," said Jackie Sheppard, assistant secretary for long-term care and family services at the state Department of Health and Human Services.

These programs are designed to coordinate services such as housing and public benefits, making it easier for older or disabled people to live in the community instead of institutions.

"Wake County is so fortunate, the pieces are all there," Gail Holden, director of senior and adult services for Wake County said Wednesday. "We have to figure out how to put them together."

Ten other centers serving 28 counties across North Carolina are also planning centers, using $400,000 in federal grants during a three-year period. Wake County elected not to apply for grants, partly because the nonprofit agency Resources for Seniors already offers many of the functions of a one-stop agency and could eventually get funded as the county's official center.

"We were ahead of the game on this," said David Cottengim, president of Resources for Seniors.

Members of the Gold Coalition, an umbrella organization of groups and businesses that work with seniors, said today they will meet next month to work out details with county agencies and other potential partners in the center.