Finger Lakes Independence Center--FLIC--Logo:

The letters: F-L-I-C and the letter I looks like an open door.

Finger Lakes Independence Center

Opening Doors to Independence

Image Above: A photo of a home living room with older adult man with grey hair and mustache seated in a chair. Young woman with brown skin and long black hair in a pony tail is placing a plate of food on a tray in front of the seated man. The woman is wearing blue scrubs and smiling.

Did you know that FLIC hosts three personal assistance programs?

Here is an overview of the three programs, commonly referred to as CDPAP, EISEP and the Registry.

Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP)

"Consumer Directed" means control is in your hands. As the consumer, or the one receiving services, you recruit, hire, supervise and fire (if necessary) of your personal aide or assistant. This program allows you to hire family, friends, and neighbors as your aide, we a few exceptions.

To be eligible for CDPAP, you must be:

• A resident of Tompkins or Tioga Counties;
• Eligible for Medicaid Long Term Care;
• Approved to receive personal assistance by your Medicaid Long Term Care Provider; and
• Willing and able to make informed decisions, or have a designated representative; to oversee your home care services including the hiring, scheduling, supervising and possible termination of personal care aides.

Your care plan and the number of hours of in-home services are based upon an assessment done by a nurse from your Medical Long Term Care Provider.

A booklet is provided as a reference for individuals who choose to participate in the program, and includes information about hiring and training aides, maintaining an employer/employee relationship, problem-solving and assertiveness skills, and locating back-up aides to avoid breaks in service.

Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP)

EISEP is for people 60 years old or older who live in Tompkins County and need housekeeping or personal care services.

• The cost of the program is based on monthly income, on a sliding scale for people who are not eligible for Medicaid.
• A nurse from NY Connects/Department of Social Services Office of Long Term Care will complete an in-home assessment to determine your needs.
• An application and signed agreement through the Finger Lakes Independence Center must be completed prior to the beginning care.

For more information or to see if you qualify for CDPAP and/or EISEP, call NY Connects / Department of Social Services Office of Long Term Care at 607-274-5278.

The Registry 

The Registry is a program that matches people in Tompkins County who need in-home workers with individuals who are willing and able to work in people’s homes. The Registry maintains a listing of in-home caregivers who have been screened through a face to face interview and whose references have been verified.

The Registry list includes individuals who are licensed and/or certified, such as RNs, LPNs, home health aides and certified nursing aides. It also includes individuals who are willing to help with laundry, housekeeping, yard work, errands, grocery shopping and cooking. Even pet care is a service that may be available.

The Registry Program is made possible by funding from Tompkins County Office for the Aging (COFA) and New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA). The Registry is advertized in our newsletter every month and can be found in this issue at the bottom of the newsletter.

For more information, please contact Teressa Sivers at 607-272-2433 or email Teressa@fliconline.org.

Are you receiving SSDI or SSI disability benefits and want to know how returning to work will affect your benefits and medical coverage?  

Learn how the Ticket To Work program can help you return to work and explore a better financial future.  

The Finger Lakes Independence Center & ADEN invites you to this free informational in-person & zoom webinar:  

Ticket To Work Program: 

SSA Disability Benefits and Work Incentives  

Thursday, 5/24/2023 from 2PM – 3:15PM EST 

Attend in person or via zoom 

Attend by zoom: Registration is required. Copy & paste link to your browser 

                                  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIsdeyhrDMqHNI5UVmuYz5Y93LXM4Q9he1i 

Attend in-person: Must call or email Jorge Cuevas to register 

(607)272-2433 / jorge@fliconline.org 

*Accommodations must be requested by 5/15/23  

 

All in-person attendees will receive a FLIC water bottle, other swag & be entered in a raffle to win a $50 gift certificate. 

All gift certificate entrees must be an SSDI or SSI benefits recipient. 

Presenter: Kevin Nickerson is Co-Director of the American Dream Employment Network, a division of National Disability Institute (NDI). Kevin has over 25 years of experience helping SSA disability beneficiaries, is a Community Partner, Work Incentive Counselor (CPWIC), and has worked under SSA’s former Benefits Planning Assistance & Outreach (BPAO) project, as well as the Work Incentive Planning Assistance (WIPA) project. Kevin worked for Challenge Industries for 20 years, providing work incentive counseling, and establishing them as the first Employment Network in NYS. 

Join FLIC’s Advocacy Team!

The Finger Lakes Independence Center (FLIC) promotes equality of opportunity for people with disabilities, including older adults who acquire disabilities as they age. 

Our advocacy promotes legislation, public policies, and best practices that benefit people with disabilities. Areas of focus for advocacy include: health care, education, employment, housing, transportation, and protecting the civil rights of people with disabilities

When you are part of FLIC’s advocacy team, you receive regular Action Alerts; these Action Alerts are brief descriptions of a piece of legislation or a problem that needs to be acted upon. Members of the team let elected officials and policy makers know our position on the proposed legislation or policy. You will be asked to send an email or to make a phone call. Elected officials and policy makers appreciate hearing from people. Thousands of people contact then all the time. You can too.

How do I join the FLIC Advocacy Team?

It’s simple:

First, contact Jeff Boles, Advocacy Specialist, and ask to be added to the advocacy team. Jeff is at: jeff@fliconline.org. If you have questions, contact Rashke Bradley: rashke@fliconline.org or call them at 607-272-2433

Second, respond when Jeff sends you an Action Alert, and let him know that you did. It’s an easy way to let our legislators know what is important to you.

Image: 2023 Logo for Older Americans Month. The logo reads--Older Americans Month: Aging Unbound May 2023. The image shows three simple human figures, two are joining hands to form a heart and lift up the third figure.

Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month (OAM). The 2023 theme is Aging Unbound, which offers an opportunity to explore diverse aging experiences and discuss how communities can combat stereotypes. It is an opportunity to promote flexible thinking about aging – and how we all benefit when older adults remain engaged, independent, and included.

Tompkins County Office for the Aging is hosting an open house to celebrate. See their flyer below.

Poster: Tompkins County Office for the Aging: Aging Unbound, May 2023.

Rainbow water color abstract with Older Americans Month logo (describe in previous article)

Please join us for our Open House to celebrate Older Americans Month.

Friday, May 12, 2023,1:00-4:00 pm.

May is Older Americans Month and to celebrate we are having an Open House. Come and peruse our informational tables which will include some of our community partners! Help us to recognize our 2023 Outstanding Volunteers during a brief presentation and stay for a bite to eat and participate in a raffle to win a gift basket of goodies!

Feel free to join us anytime between 1 pm and 4 pm. Recognition of our Outstanding Volunteers will begin at 2:00 pm. Please RSVP to Caryn Bullis at cbullis@tompkins-co.org or call 607-274-5450. Parking scratch off tickets available at our front door..

Poster: Foodnet-Meals on Wheels Fundraising Event: Mac 'n Cheese Bowl.

Competitors: Monks on the Commons; Revelry Yards; Second Wind Cottages; Silo Food Truck; The Silver Spoon; The Strand Cafe Canopy by Hilton; Tower Marketplace at Ithaca College; Adam's Corner Cafe; Antlers Restaurant; Cayuga Medical Center; Cornell Catering; Crossroads Bar & Grille; Coalition for Health School Food & Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine; Fitnell Farms; Foodnet Meals on Wheels; GreenStar Food Co+op; Hound & Mare; Kendal at Ithaca; Kiely's Cooking; Longview; Luna Inspired Street Food.

Date: May 3, 2023

Time: 4:30 to 7:00 PM

Tickets available at Foodnet.org, call 607-266-9553 & at the Foodnet office at 2422 North Triphammer Road.

Follow on Twitter: @FoodnetMacBowl

Clipart of blue bowl with white horizontal stripe. Bowl filled with yellow macaroni, blue utensil handle sticking out. Blue steam rises from macaroni and forms a heart.

In honor of those who are Asian American and Pacific Islanders and are disabled, Disability Rights CA put together the video below as an opportunity for their voices to be heard. Take time to hear the stories and experiences of those from the Asian American dn Pacific Islander community who are also disabiled.

Image below left: lightbulb drawn in gray with white background. Fillament is in orange and five ray are drawn in orange coming from the top.



Awareness months call the world to be come more informed about a wide variety of people, cultures, ethnicities, situations and needs. The month of May has an abundance of 'awarenesses' calling for our attention. Take some time to become more informed!

• Mental Health Awareness Month: Scroll down to see how area agencies are marking this awareness. And visit this site to learn more: https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Awareness-Month
• National Women's Health Week: Runs from May 8-14, starting on Mother's Day. Visit the Office on Women's Health Site to learn more--https://www.womenshealth.gov/nwhw/about
• Haitian Heritage Month: Read about Haiti and the Haitian people at the Library of Congress Site--https://guides.loc.gov/haiti-reimagined/primary-resources
• Jewish American Heritage Month: Visit the government site to learn more-https://www.jewishheritagemonth.gov/

Many different medical conditions, illnesses and disabilities also have May as their awareness month. Click on the names below to follow the link to learn more:

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Celiac Disease
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Lupus
• Lyme Disease
• Stroke

Disasters can happen at any time. If you are away from home do you know where to find safe shelter locations? Do you know what the emergency procedures are for your child’s school or for your workplace? Will people who count on you know what to do if you can’t reach them? Know how to make sure you and your loved ones are safe in a disaster, no matter where you are.

Task: Make Sure Emergency Procedures are in place for your workplace or school.

Talk to your employer about emergency plans for the building where you work. Think about other places that you and family members regularly spend time, like your child’s school. Talk to administrators at those places about their emergency plans as well.

Ways to be safe at work and school:

• Make sure evacuation routes and tornado shelter locations are marked on a map and posted in the building
• Hold emergency training and drills
• Help create an emergency kit for the facility
• Know where fire extinguishers and Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) are located

Task: Give emergency kits to people who count on you.

Put together basic emergency kits for people who may not be able to do so for themselves or for those who may not think of doing it for themselves. Show them what is in the kit and talk to them about disasters.

Make sure the kit meets their specific needs. For instance, if someone takes prescription medicine, include a list of medications and dosages. For a college student, make sure the kit is small enough to store in the space they have available.

College Students

Talk to your college student about how you will stay in touch if a disaster occurs. Make sure they understand that cell phones may not work during a disaster. Choose an emergency contact who does not live near you or the college. Arrange with your student to call that person if they can’t reach you during a disaster.

Visit the website for your student’s college to find out about the school’s disaster plans and procedures. Some colleges will provide a phone number that you can call in an emergency. If you don’t find the number on the website, call the admissions office and ask. Add the number to your emergency contact list. Make sure your student knows to call you if there is an emergency on campus. Also, ensure your student is registered for any emergency notification system on their campus.

Insurance

Talk to your insurance agent to find out if your policy covers your student’s belongings while they are away at school. You may need to buy an additional renter’s policy. Also check with your health insurance carrier to find out where your student can find covered healthcare at school.

Put together basic emergency kits for people who may not be able to do so for themselves or for those who may not think of doing it for themselves. Show them what is in the kit and talk to them about disasters.

Make sure the kit meets their specific needs. For instance, if someone takes prescription medicine, include a list of medications and dosages. For a college student, make sure the kit is small enough to store in the space they have available.

Task: Know how others in your community will respond in a disaster.

Talk to other people when you are developing an emergency plan for a school, workplace or organization. Get input from people who work there and other people who use the building. It is especially important to include people with disabilities. Think about asking your local police and fire departments to review the plan. Make sure that what you are planning won’t interfere with emergency response.

Find out if your community has designated evacuation routes for floods, hurricanes, or other disasters. Include that information in your plans. Make sure that the plans you develop will work for everyone.

https://www.do1thing.com/individuals/work-school-community/

The Finger Lakes Independence Center administers the Registry Referral Program. This is a free referral service linking individuals seeking independent employment to people who need care in their home. Opportunities include: elder companion, housekeeper, run errands, cook, personal care aide, home care aide, LPN, RN. People looking for help can call and receive names of people willing to provide those services. If you either need assistance or if you would be interested in listing your name as a caregiver, pease call FLIC at 272-2433 or email: info@fliconline.org. If you have experience caring for a friend or loved one, please consider sharing your compassion with others. This program is made possible through funding from the Tompkins County Office for the Aging.