In an effort to fully serve the disabled individual, those who qualified for home and community based services under the Act 150 program prior to turning 60 years old may keep the exact services he/she was receiving.  Qualifying consumers will not see a change in their everyday services or their Service Coordinator.  A representative from Blair Senior Services, Inc. assists in overseeing the consumer’s care and advocates appropriately. 

Environmental Modifications are available on a limited basis and focus on adaptation of the home for persons with disabilities and the removal of health and safety hazards from the home.

Home Delivered Meals provides hot noon meals on weekdays to Blair County residents 60 years of age or older who are homebound or unable to prepare meals themselves.  Cold breakfast and/or evening meals, as well as frozen and shelf stable meals, are available as appropriate.

Assistive Devices are items and/or aids that are provided to functionally disabled older adults that will enable them to perform activities of daily living more independently. 

Durable Medical Equipment items are primarily used in the presence of illness, injury or functional disability.  They can withstand repeated use, are appropriate for use in the home, and can be Medicare or Medicaid non-reimbursable.   

Medical Supplies are expendable, disposable, or consumable supplies used in the provision of home health or personal care to chronically ill or disabled consumers at home. 

Blair Senior Services, Inc. accepts donations of the above mentioned items, and will lend or distribute items to consumers in need.

In order to receive durable medical equipment, medical supplies, or assistive devices, all resources for providing the equipment must be exhausted, including financial resources available to the consumer.

The PDA Waiver Program helps people 60 years of age and older remain independent in their homes.  Under the program, home and community-based long term care services can be provided as an alternative to nursing home care.  It is called a “Waiver” Program because services are funded through a special waiver of certain Medicaid restrictions, allowing payments typically used for nursing home care to be used for home care services.

Personal Assistance Services are in-home personal care and other approved support activities for AAA consumers with functional disabilities who need assistance to accomplish daily living tasks.  The services enable eligible older adults to live in their own homes and communities, rather than in the institutions, and to carry out functions of daily living, self-care and mobility.  Primarily, the consumer, if he or she were physically able, or family or friends, if available, would carry out these activities.   

To qualify for Personal Assistance Services, the individual must currently experience functional disabilities which result in a substantial loss of capability to perform one or more of the following basic activities: 

• Getting in and out of bed, wheelchair, or motor vehicle
• Ambulating, with or without mechanical aids, inside the home
• Routine bodily functions, including eating or feeding (including meal preparation and clean–up) and toileting
• Bathing, dressing, personal hygiene and grooming
• Health maintenance activities

The Senior Companion Program provides companionship for older, frail adults, adults with terminal illnesses, or adults with disabilities who need assistance with household chores, transportation and who need a friendly person with whom they can socialize.

Senior Companion volunteers are trained individuals assigned to visit qualifying consumers in their own homes on a weekly basis.  Senior Companions primarily focus on socialization for the homebound consumer.