ADRC Accomplishments

Information, Referral and Assistance

• In SFY 09 the six ADRC sites served 47,511 older individuals and caregivers looking for a variety of home and community based services.
• During the same time period a little more than 49,000 ADRC contacts were made by individuals and caregivers representing those with developmental disabilities, mental illness and physical disabilities seeking information about long term care options.
• In addition to consumers, the ADRC handled 49,579 contacts by professionals who also contacted the ADRC on behalf of consumers during the year.
• Together, the ADRC sites handled an impressive 105,351 contacts by consumers, caregivers and professionals seeking LTC options for seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Access to Long-Term Care Options

• Using the ADRC philosophy and building on Georgia’s existing single entry point for seniors, the Enhanced Services Program long-term care database now includes 3500+ newly added statewide resources for those with developmental disabilities and brain and spinal cord injuries. These are in addition to the 19,000 resources for the aging community. The inclusion of the disability resources created a statewide database for adult consumers of disability services that did not previously exist.
• As part of the ADRC initiative to streamline access to long-term care, the Division of Aging Services has partnered with the Division of Family and Children Services and the Department of Community Health to develop an online Medicaid form that will provide easy access for aged, blind and disabled consumers of Medicaid. The partnership created a consumer-focused online Medicaid application that is available to the public on several easily accessible sites and allows individuals, caregivers and representatives to apply for Medicaid using a convenient process designed to reduce existing barriers.

Community Outreach

• Georgia’s ADRC sites have focused outreach activities on educating the local aging and disability communities about available public and privately funded long-term care community options and to that end have reached in excess of 3000 consumers with disabilities, their caregivers and professionals over the past year.

Inter-Agency Partnerships

• The formation of formal and informal partnerships has been an essential element in the success of the ADRC model. The Aging and Disability Resource Connection relies on the collaborative nature of multiple agencies at both the state and local level.
• Among the ADRC sites 46 formal partnerships have been established including public and private social service agencies such as: DBHDD regional offices; DFCS; Public Health; Behavioral Health; Disability Agencies; Universities; Hospitals and State Independent Living Centers.
• State level partners include: Division of Family and Children Services; Department of Labor-Tools for Life; Georgia Hospital Association; Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities; Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget; Department of Community Health; Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission; Shepherd Spinal Center; Alzheimer’s Association, Area Agencies on Aging; All About Developmental Disabilities; Governor’s Council on Aging, Adult Protective Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.