Direct Services
North Central Texas Area Agency on Aging staff and volunteers provide benefits counseling, care coordination, and long-term care ombudsman services.
Benefits Counseling
Benefits counselors provide free, objective information to help you understand public benefits. They can:
- Explain what Medicare and Medicaid cover
- Help you decide whether to get your Medicare benefits through traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage Plan
- Help you compare Medicare supplemental plans
- Help you compare Medicare Part D prescription drug plans
- See if you might qualify for Medicare Savings Programs and Low-Income Subsidies and help complete the application forms
Benefits counselors can also help you decide whether you need a long-term care insurance policy and talk with you about advance directives.
Do you have the health coverage that’s best for you? Do you need help choosing a prescription drug plan or paying prescription co-pays? Click here for more information.
Are you aware of Medicare's newest preventive services? For more information, click here.
Do you know that Medicare covers a number of services to support you if you're feeling anxious or depressed? Medicare benefits include outpatient mental health services like depression screening, individual and group psychotherapy, and family counseling. Also, counseling services via telehealth may be available to you.
Staff Benefits Counselors
Additional information can be found in the following brochures.
Senior Medicare Patrol
Under the leadership of Melinda Gardner, the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) helps Medicare beneficiaries prevent, detect and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse.
Do you want to protect yourself and your loved ones from Medicare fraud?
Keep records of your health care visits, services, lab results and equipment ordered in your free healthcare journal.
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Care Coordination
Are you finding it difficult to live independently? Are you seeking access to health and social services? If you are in a situation that places you at risk for nursing home care, our care coordination services may be available to you.
A care coordinator may be able to help you get support services so you can remain in your own home. Although the program is open to all older adults in our service area, it places priority on individuals who have experienced a recent health crisis, live in rural areas, have difficulty caring for themselves, or have limited caregiver support.
We can connect you with the following services.
- Light housekeeping or personal assistance
- Meal preparation
- Emergency response systems
- Medication assistance
- Medical equipment not covered by insurance
- Residential repair (minor home modifications, such as building wheelchair ramps and installing grab bars)
- Home-delivered meals
For more information about program services, download our Care Coordination brochure or contact Christine Tran at 817-695-9194 or ctran@nctcog.org.
Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Are you concerned for a loved one who is currently in a nursing home? Do you worry your loved one isn’t being treated fairly or receiving quality care?
If you have doubts, questions or concerns about the way a resident of a nursing or assisted living facility is being treated, we have qualified ombudsmen who can assist you.
Our ombudsmen are certified staff and volunteers who help residents of North Central Texas nursing and assisted living facilities get quality care.
An ombudsman can:
- Provide information to residents and family about rights and procedures and help identify additional resources in or out of the facility;
- Identify, investigate and resolve complaints by or on behalf of nursing or assisted living facility residents;
- Work with the residents, families, friends and facility staff to resolve complaints and difficulties.
Staff Ombudsmen
For more information, download the Texas Ombudsman Program brochure.
Nursing Home Relocation
What services are available to nursing home residents?
Home By Choice is a program funded by managed care organizations to help nursing home residents of all ages who are Medicaid eligible return to the community.
It draws on the resources of the North Central Texas Area Agency on Aging and REACH Centers on Independent living.
For more information about Home By Choice, or to make a referral, call 800-272-3921, ext. 82396.
Community Care Options Counseling is a program funded by the Texas Health and Human Services to help nursing home residents who are not funded by Medicaid to understand their options for community care. To speak with an options counselor, call 855-937-2372.