Finding Meals for Seniors, Delivered or Congregated.

For all the links we provide every year with information about Thanksgiving meals, there is usually very little about meals that are delivered.  In the Toledo area, only the Augsburg Lutheran Church does Thanksgiving meal delivery.  Where can you find about meals delivered to senior citizens (where the mobility to get to meals is often a real issue)? 

To find a low-cost meal delivery organization in your area, or a congregant place (a place where seniors can gather to enjoy a meal together, such as a senior center), check out the website of the Meals on Wheels Association of America.   The locator page allows you to put in a zip code and get a meal provider directory, listed in order of distance from the zip code, from the closest to the farthest. It doesn't tell much about their operations, or even provide a link to an organization's website, but they do give you a lead and contact information. 

Homestead Property Tax Exemptions--in Ohio, and Other Places

"Homestead" exemptions are exemptions on the value of a home to shield the homeowner fromtaxation, or to shield the home from creditors in case of bankruptcy.

In Ohio, the homestead exemption on property taxes are available to everybody over 65, or totally disabled, or the surviving spouse of a qualified homeowner who was at least 59 at the date of their spouse's death.  It shields $25,000 of the market value of the home from property taxes. At one time, there was an upper income limit for eligibility, but that was repealed several years ago.  And while this is a statewide law, you have to apply for the homestead exemption at your county auditor's office.

In Florida, there is a homestead exemption of up to $50,000 for which Floridians may be eligible if it's your permanent residence.  There are also exemptions for the disabled, blind, widows and widowers, and disabled veterans--all the links are on this page.

In Texas, those over 65, disabled, or a partially or totally disabled veteran may also qualify for an exemption on their principle residence.  More detailed information on Texas property tax exemptions here.

More Freebies and Cheapies for Travel and Recreation

The last post had a list of cultural institutions that had free days or discounts, compliments of Target.  But there's more cheap and free stuff that can help you travel. 

One is the land pass for American citizens 62 years or older to hundreds of sites managed by five federal agencies: the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Recreation, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service.  Between them, they manage some of the most scenic and breathtaking historic and national treasures in the U.S., and the America the Beautiful pass will allow you to see most of these treasures for a $10 lifetime pass.  That pass covers not only the holder, but everyone in his/her car.  And some of these sites will also give card holders a discount on other amenities, like camping or guided tours.  The application is actually $20 for paperwork if you apply through the mail via application, but $10 if you apply in person.  Here's a list of parks and sites where you can apply in person. 

If you want to travel, you may be able to be able to swap homes with someone in your destination location.  This works out best if you have a location other people want to see, but check it out.  One place is the Home for Exchange site, but there are others. Fodors carries a short list in an article on how to make things homier for your guests. 

If you are looking for free accomodations--but not simultaneous to someone else--you can sign up for the Global Freeloader site.  You can travel with free accomodations in the homes of others, if you are willing to be a host yourself. 

And if you're traveling with kids, it's good to know where and under what circumstances you may be able to feed them free.  A website, Kids Eat Free, tries to keep track of this for you in the United States.  It's arranged by state, but you are urged to check ahead to see if the offers are still good in the restaurants that they list.

Finding Agencies That Do Chores for the Elderly

In order to stay in their own homes, elderly people may need different degrees of help.  Some need to find a way to pay for home health care--long term, regular care to help older people with their day to day tasks.  Some need home repairs.  Some just need some help with heavy-duty chores, like raking, etc.  There's ways to research that, too.

In Ohio, the best way to find these resources is through the regional offices on aging.  Contacting the one in your area is a good way to find chore services.  At the Northwest Ohio Area Office on Aging, there's a search page with services for the aged in the 10 county area they cover.  Choose "chores," put in your zip code and the mile radius you want searched, and it will come up with a list of places that perform chores for older people. 

Nationwide, there is a group of organizations that provide volunteer help of this kind, and one may be near you.  It's the National Volunteer Caregiving Network, and they have a page that allows you to search local affiliates.  You can also use the National Eldercare Finder, but it's a clumsier tool, since you can search by local provider OR a service, but not both.  Your best best may be to search locally, then find a chore provider within that list.  Since it's federal, it may not be updated as quickly as local or state websites.  Also check the state care planning council in your state to see if there's local services available.

Volunteer Home Repairs for the Needy and Elderly

Most people know about Habitat for Humanity, a group that creates homes for the poor out of voluntary community labor, in which the new homeowners are required to contribute "sweat equity." In Toledo and the Maumee Valley area, HFH also does home repairs.  But there are also organizations that help pitch in and help poor and elderly homeowners repair their homes.

One is Christmas in Action, which provides home repairs for people on a fixed income who are over 60 or physicallly disabled.  You need to live in an area that has a local affiliate nearby and contact that affiliate group.

A much larger network of volunteer home fixer-uppers is Rebuilding Together, with over 200 local affiliates around the United States.  They help low-income homeowners fix their homes without the qualification of being elderly or disabled.  They also do community rebuilding work in partnership with other local organizations.  If you do not live near a local Rebuilding group, get in touch with the national organization at 1-800-473-4229.

Remember that if you are elderly, the federal government has a page on home repair and modification, and how to find it.  Your best bet is to find a local office on aging in your community, or call 211 if your area has it, and ask for a home repair agency.  For people in Toledo and northwest Ohio, an extra list is here.

Financial Help When You Care For Others

Taking care of someone else--either a disabled child or adult, or an elderly relative--can be tough.  You may need respite care to spend some time doing things you want or need to do, but may not have family in a position to help.  Many states provide some financial help for low or moderate income people in this difficult position.

The National Respite Network gives an overview of the types of financial aid available, and how they work.  A good place to start your research is the state Department of Health and Department on Aging where you live.  You can find both of them for your state at the Healthy Aging Program website.  They are usually the departments in charge of programs created to help caregivers.  Besides offering in-home respite, they may offer adult day care on a sliding scale of payments.

An elderly or disabled person may also need help in their own homes, and need financial help in providing it.  Most states offer help in providing personal help in the form of medicaid waiver programs, where the state helps pay for the cost of in-home personal care.  These can be offered through state agencies that deal with different population groups.  For instance, in Ohio, they are offered through the Department of Aging and the Department of Developmental Disability.  The financial requirements and regulations vary from state to state.  Find your state's department, and contact them for more information.  A simple way to search via the internet for your state's program is to google the words "medicaid waiver" and the name of your state.

Property Tax Breaks

When people think about "tax breaks," they are usually considering income taxes.  But have you considered your property taxes?  There may be a chance to cut down on your present or future property taxes.

One is property tax breaks for the aged or disabled.  In many states, like Ohio, Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, etc., there are property tax exemptions that reduce the property tax burden on those two groups.  For more information, see the Retirement Living page on taxes for each state.  They will provide further links to each state's tax information.  In some states, elderly or disabled veterans may be eligible for tax breaks, too. Here's the rundown for various states.

Another possibility is  tax abatements on property that you are considering buying.  This usually happens when a city decides that it wants to fire up development and home ownership in some depressed area of the city, and that the best way to do this is to let property owners fix up the building, adding improvements without increasing taxes on the property, usually for some fixed time, like 10 or 15 years, or to allow commercial developers to build on it in the first place.  Some big cities where it is available include Cleveland, Toledo, and New York, but it's available in different cities all over the U.S.  This is usually limited to specific areas of the city, so check to see if the property you are considering is included.  Note that this is something that is usually possible at the time of purchase, rather than for existing property with no new improvements.  When considering a property purchase, contact the Housing Department or Development Department of the city in which you are thinking of purchasing property and see if a property tax abatement is possible.

Help and Care for the Elderly

If you are trying to get help for an elder loved one--or for yourself--check out these two websites by the federal government.

One, Eldercare.gov, will find agencies and senior centers near your home if you search by zip code, city, or county. Unfortunately, the information is sketchy, but it's a good place to start.

The other, BenefitsCheckUp, is run by the National Council on Aging, and can help you identify programs for which you are eligible. You can use interactive screens to find help with benefits, medicine, SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program), and eldercare assistance. Try them both