Community Services
6. Linkages Program
This care management program consists of 36 sites throughout the state that help senior or disabled residents age 18 and older stay in their homes when they are at risk of facing care in an institutional setting.
The program does not restrict participation by income, but is designed to help clients who do not qualify for other programs offering care and assistance. Participants must have difficulty with at least two activities of daily living, such as transportation, housework, dressing, or bathing.
After a triage of a potential client by a care manager, this program may link individuals and their families to existing community services that provide help with: transportation, home safety modifications, medical care, meals, housekeeping, legal assistance, companionship, money management, counseling, securing government benefits, and emergency matters such as abuse or evictions.
Linkages staff help coordinate care from the individual's family, other informal support networks, and existing community services. The program also helps clients obtain various devices needed to live independently -- such as ramps, hand-held showerheads, and nutritional supplements. Linkages care managers also contact clients regularly and follow up to ensure the services and products are satisfactory and fitted to individuals' needs.
For more information, contact the California Department of Aging and Adult Services at 800-510-2020.