Most people recognize that the Cayuga County Office for the Aging is a trusted source for information and assistance for seniors and their families. We receive hundreds of calls each year requesting assistance on a wide variety of issues from health insurance counseling to home delivered meals. Now there is an additional way to find the information you need or to learn about the scope of services available to senior citizens in Cayuga County.

We would like to announce that the Office for the Aging has a brand new, interactive Web site.

This fantastic new site is full of bright colors and pictures and is easy to use. The web address for the site is http://co.cayuga.ny.us/aging/.

The face page has drop down menus where you can easily link to a topic or service that you are most interested in. In addition to a general overview of services, information on how to contact us with a list of staff contacts, the following categories are accessible: Help to Stay at Home - Aide services, home delivered meals and community meal sites, housing concerns and transportation; Health Insurance and Long-Term Care Insurance Counseling #- Medicare programs, Medicaid, EPIC, long-term care insurance programs and information; Long-Term Care Advice and Planning - Long-term care and estate planning, Never Too Old to be Well workbook and video guide, Sharing Your Wishes advanced care planning guide, legal services, NYConnects Long Term Care Office; Support for Caregivers - Caregiver support groups, Alzheimer's disease support/counseling and education.

Several pages on the Web site have an icon that you can click directly on to access a Request for Assistance Form. Your request will be e-mailed directly to our office and a staff person will follow-up to further assist you.

We are really excited about one new aspect of our site.

We will now be able to post and update Office for the Aging news and activities, including our quarterly newsletter in its entirety. There will be a calendar of upcoming events and registration forms for signing up for events.

Also, there is access to senior citizen clubs information and activities, information on joining our OFA Advisory Committee and getting on our mailing list.

The Web site even makes it possible to make a donation online.

For finding information on other community services in Cayuga County, you can link to and search in the Human Services Coalition Directory. There are also helpful links to other Cayuga County resources including Hospice.

Also included are access to New York state departments and sponsored programs, national associations, institutes and organizations, including links to the Medicare and Social Security Web sites.

While this Web site is designed to highlight the programs and services available through the Cayuga County Office for the Aging and its sponsored organizations, the wide range of community services and the constant changes in programs often make it difficult to decide where to go with a problem or what type of help to ask for. By calling our office at 253-1226, we will be happy to assist with that decision making process. If you'd prefer, contact us via e-mail at ccofa@co.cayuga.ny.us. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Janet Taylor is an aging services specialist at the Cayuga County Office for the Aging