AAAs & OBRA Wth?
Well Monday is a great day right? We might as well start it out with tackling the crazy world of senior care terms. Today we begin with “Triple A” but not the branded auto agency we all love… For our purposes AAA stands for Area Agency on Aging. 
These are nonprofit agencies serving adults in certain geographic areas, usually a district, county or city. Established by the Older Americans Act. AAAs coordinate local services such as transportation services, Meals on Wheels and other services that help seniors stay in their homes. Here in our surrounding 3 county area Senior Services Associates does great work and you can find their contact information here seniorservicesassoc.org/contact_us.html
I know we are trying to stay alphabetical but a lot of the process starts with Senior Services in your local area and OBRA is something you will need to become familiar with if looking for nursing services for your loved one. OBRA is the federal regulation called the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 mandating that all folks entering Medicaid/Medicare funded nursing facilities must receive a comprehensive mental health assessment. The purpose is to verify medical necessity for a nursing
facility, and make mental health recommendations which will assist the facility in providing necessary mental health support and services. Your prospective facility should also be able to help get you started and point you in the right direction. Those facilities that are the most helpful in getting you started in the process of screening, explanation of medicaid/medicare as well as telling their own story are usually the same facilities that provide superior care in your community.
Kevin Kirkpatrick is Director of Community Relations at Elmwood Terrace in the Western Chicago Suburbs
