From the Office of Congresswoman Val Demings
Last week, Representative Val Demings held a seniors tele-town hall with local experts to discuss resources and services available to seniors in Central Florida. Experts from Social Security, AARP, Seniors First, and Senior Resource Alliance joined the call and discussed a variety of topics. The important highlights and resources from that call are highlighted below.
Important Resource Contact InformationSocial Security: 1-800-772-1213 Every senior is strongly encouraged to create an account on My Social Security, here: www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ AARP: 866-595-7678 Seniors First: 407-292-0177 Email: requestinfo@seniorsfirstinc.org Meals on Wheels: 407-615-8982 Neighborhood Lunch: 407-615-8970 Guardianship Program: 407-297-9980 Medical Equipment Bank: 407-649-4100 In Home Care: 407-292-0177 Senior Resource Alliance: 407-514-0019 Email: info@seniorresourcealliance.org Also helpful are: Dial 211 for Heart of Florida United Way Dial 311 for Orange County Services Florida Department of Elder Affairs / Statewide Elderly Help Line: 1-800-963-5337 COVID-19AARP Coronavirus Resource Page In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, AARP is providing information, advocacy and resources to help older people and their caregivers protect themselves from the virus, prevent it from spreading to others, and cope with the health problems and financial disruptions caused by the virus. Orange County Resident Resources Orange County also offers a wide variety of resources and programs to help you. Food AssistanceBring Hope Home is a Second Harvest Food Bank program that provides perishable and nonperishable food items to the doorsteps of qualifying seniors, homebound individuals, individuals with a disability, veterans and those in the high risk group for contracting the coronavirus. To learn more about this program, visit www.feedhopenow.org/bringhopehome or call 407-514-1096. In addition, Seniors First offers two food programs: Meals on Wheels: 407-615-8982 Neighborhood Lunch: 407-615-8970 Home Maintenance and UtilitiesThe Housing Rehabilitation program assists qualified homeowners with repairs to eliminate existing life, safety, health and code violations. To be eligible, homeowners must have owned and lived in the home for a minimum of one year and meet very low-income guidelines. The income guidelines chart is available for your consideration. Email housing@ocfl.net or call (407) 836-5150 For Low-Income Energy Assistance, call 407-514-1800, press 1 Mental Health and WellnessThis year has been a lonely time for many seniors. If you want to talk to someone, please call one of the following services: Trained AARP Friendly Voice volunteers around the country have come together to support those in need and will provide a call to say hello. They have created this service to help seniors stay connected because just hearing a friendly voice on the other end of the line can help in challenging times. We may be apart, but we don’t have to be alone. Request a call by calling AARP Friendly Voices directly at 888-281-0145. Senior Resource Alliance Health & Wellness: 407-514-1806 Report Fraud and AbuseBeware of anyone offering you a deal that seems too good to be true. It probably is. If you need to report fraud or abuse, call one of the following numbers: Florida Elder Helpline: 1-800-963-5337 Florida Senior Protection Team: 1-800-96ABUSE (1-800-962-2873) Florida Senior Legal Helpline: 1-800-895-7873 Report Medicare Fraud: 1-877-808-2468 AARP Fraud Hotline: 877-908-3360 |
