Caregivers, family and friends of Livingston County seniors, disabled children and adults now have a simpler way to find and access local resources, programs, and support services for their loved ones. NY Connects Livingston County, a toll-free phone line and web-based tool providing information and assistance about long term care options for Livingston County residents, has just been launched by the Livingston County Office for the Aging, Livingston County Department of Social Services, Livingston County Department of Health, and Genesee Valley Health Partnership.
A free, confidential service, NY Connects Livingston County is designed to quickly connect the community with local long-term care resources, services and programs by providing accessible and unbiased information and assistance services. Armed with that information, they can make better-informed decisions on the best choices for themselves and their loved ones that help them live safely in their homes and communities.
NY Connects Livingston County can be accessed by calling the toll-free helpline at 1-888-443-7520, or by visiting www.NYConnectsLivingstonCounty.org. Whether help is needed for yourself, a family member, or a friend, NY Connects Livingston County provides information and assistance for long term care resources in the community such as personal care, home delivered meals, transportation, caregiver support, health insurance counseling, housing, supportgroups, dementia, and much more. Supportive services are also available through NY Connects to help caregivers cope with and understand their responsibilities. NY Connects Livingston County is the fastest and easiest way to get the information you need, when you need it anytime.
The toll-free NY Connects Livingston County helpline, 1-888-443-7520, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days week, offering information and assistance, education and screening to individuals, their families and/or caregivers, as well as people employed in the helping service professions. It assists callers in making informed choices regarding their long term care needs by letting residents know who provides those services nearest to them and how to get in touch with service providers. Calls are answered by trained specialists, and all calls are confidential. Help is provided in many languages, and TTY is available for the hearing-impaired.
The NY Connects Livingston County web site, www.NYConnectsLivingstonCounty.org, enables the user to simply click on the services they are interested in. From there, the site will provide the user with a list of matching service providers that relate to the user’s health needs. The addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, and Web sites for each matching provider is included.
Users also have the option to instantly notify health providers of their health needs through an automated email. If a user’s needs match the services provided by a health organization, the user can select to have NY Connects Livingston County generate an automated referral email to that specific provider. The email immediately alerts the provider that the user may be interested in their services, and asks the provider to contact the user to further determine eligibility.
NY Connects Livingston County is a joint initiative of the Livingston County Office for the Aging, Livingston County Department of Social Services, Livingston County Department of Health, and the Genesee Valley Health Partnership. It is funded by the New York State Office for the Aging.
“NY Connects Livingston County is a hassle-free, one-stop resource, where users can quickly and easily access information on the services they want and need,” says Kaaren Smith, Director, Livingston County Office for the Aging. “It eliminates the need to search endlessly through the telephone book or rely on word of mouth to try and find a program or service. It’s simple, it’s fast, and users can find what they are looking for in just one phone call or a few clicks.”
Smith added, “NY Connects Livingston County will increase the public’s awareness of services serving Livingston County so that long-term care services will be utilized more often and more appropriately. The website will also increase timely referrals for agencies that provide services to the aging and disabled populations. We are pleased to offer NY Connects to the Livingston County community.”