Massachusetts Options Counseling Program

The Massachusetts Options Counseling Program is an initiative of the Commonwealth’s Community First and is run by the office of elder affairs along with the Rehabilitation Commission. The purpose of the program is to provide free counseling to an elder citizen, a person with a disability belonging to any age bracket as well as to their families and caregivers. Through the program, the individuals and their families are empowered and provided the strength and courage to live with dignity in their communities. The program provides high-quality services that are long-termed and personalized to everyone’s needs. The program hep these people in making effective decisions or when they are not sure about a certain situation that is bothering them.

It might be difficult for a few people to find support with different activities including housework, care-giving services, personal care, management of medication, and food. The Options Counseling program helps these individuals by guiding and counseling them. The Massachusetts General Law Chapter 211 of the Acts of 2006 provides funding for the Options Counseling program and also provides instruction on how to run it. According to this law, the staff in the counseling facility should know about various resources and services provided by the program. They provide support to people who are applying for a nursing home facility.

The counselors also help individuals in the nursing facility with different situations like helping the resident shift to a different and maybe less restrictive facility, providing resources on community-based home facilities to individuals who want to apply in the future. You can get counseling in various settings including at your home, in a certain nursing facility, over the phone, in a hospital-based on your choice and comfort level.

The different services provided by the Options Counseling include helping adults who are disabled and senior citizens who are 60 years of age or older. The counselors are trained to provide unbiased information without any discrimination to the consumers. Counseling sessions could be a one-time session or extended over multiple sessions. The counselors provide information and help you make an informed decision and make you in charge of the whole process to make you better understand the situation and take the next step.

The target consumer of the Options Counseling program is the individuals in a nursing home and rehabilitation centers, people living in long-term care facilities as well as MassHealth members

The Executive Office of Elders Affair provides training workshops for the OC counselors, the leads as well as the agencies. They must participate in this training workshop to enhance their counseling skills and gain experience on how to deal with a consumer. The training is arranged in partnership with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). The training consists of a two-day workshop that the new counselors and OC leads are required to attend along with two online courses. The program also arranges an annual cross-training workshop with at least one ADRC agency.

As the needs and circumstances change over time, the Massachusetts Option Counseling program also provides follow-up services to individuals. This helps them investigate the change and provide counseling according to so that they can better address the current issues. The program also works towards creating awareness about its services by taking a pro-active approach. They go to various areas including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, rehabilitation centers as well as community groups and also carry out outreach activities so that more individuals and families can benefit from the program services.

To learn more about the Massachusetts Option Counseling Program kindly visit the Mass.org website.

You can also talk to the Options Counselor in your area by calling the following number – (844) 422-6277

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