Senior Services
Community Connection is an Area Agency on Aging (AAA)
We are one of 700 such agencies across the United States, committed to serving older individuals. We provide a comprehensive and coordinated range of services making it possible for each person to participate in the services of their choice. These services can range from assisting a person who can remain at home if they just receive the right support, to those who would benefit from the activities and socialization provided by community-based programs. Our community centers are the crux of these programs, so give us a call at your local center and let’s see how we can work together!
What kind of senior services do we have?
Select a card for that program’s page.
Tax Aid
Free tax preparation services are available for low- to moderate-income taxpayers. Contact them to see if you qualify. Not all locations offer free e-filing. There are currently no physical locations in Baker, Grant, Union, or Wallowa counties but online services are available.
AARP
Cash Oregon
United Way
Nutrition Education
Every three months at our community centers a trained professional provides information on health, physical fitness, and nutrition to the seniors there.
Legal Assistance
May be available to anyone over 60 years of age on a referral basis. Community Connection contracts with Oregon Law Center and Oregon Legal Aid to provide legal counseling on many topics.
Telephone Reassurance
We make regularly-scheduled calls to seniors who live alone and need someone to check on them. If no one answers, we begin calling emergency contacts, up to and including the police department to do a wellness check.
This can also be on a temporary basis. For example: You have been stopping in or calling your family member every day to see if they are doing well. However, you are going on a trip for a week and need someone to check on them while you’re gone. Our staff or volunteers will call your family member each day on a set schedule.
Options Counseling
From our community centers in each county, we provide Options Counseling to seniors and their family members. Clients often have many needs and are unsure of where to turn for help.
Community Connection staff help the senior and/or family member sort out their needs and identify options for filling those needs. As the family decides on their course of action our staff provides support, often being consulted multiple times during the process.
Activities!
We have recreational bus trips to nearby fun stops! Past trips have included the Pendleton Round-up, Wildhorse Resort & Casino, Wallowa Lake, and Sumpter Valley Railroad ride and picnic.
We host craft bazaars, Old Time Fiddlers Shows, informational presentations on hot topics, bingo, cards and other games, and many other activities throughout the year.
Lending Medical Equipement
We receive donated medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, bath stools, and commodes. We loan out this equipment at no charge to seniors who need them on a temporary basis, usually for a maximum of six months.
If a patient needs permanent equipment, we encourage them to purchase from a provider under the Medicare durable medical equipment benefit.
Questions about Medicare?
Visit the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program at shiba.oregon.gov or call 1-800-722-4134. The SHIBA program is a federally-funded state program that offers free, objective, and local one-on-one health insurance counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and their families.
Certified counselors help people make informed decisions about their health insurance. Free help is available to people ready to sign up for Medicare, people already on Medicare, caregivers, and advocates.
Oregon Wellness Network (OWN)
Oregon Wellness Network (OWN) delivers programs to help individuals manage chronic health conditions, prevent falls, and foster well-being. If you are coping with high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, diabetes or other chronic conditions, OWN can support your efforts to live life as fully and independently as possible.
OWN programs are available across all Oregon counties through a network of Area Agencies on Aging & Disabilities, local health coaches, and community organizations. Call (833) 673-9355 for assistance.
