State and federal governments pay for a range of services -- housekeeping, bathing, companionship, household bookkeeping, medication monitoring. They want to help older people remain in their homes.

The problem is, there's not enough money to go around. People who ask for help, for themselves or a spouse or parent, often are told there's a waiting list. If you're told that, don't give up. Go ahead and apply. It's not a first-come-first-served system. People who are poorest and in greatest need of care go to the top of the list.

Also, while some services might not come open for several months, others, home-delivered meals, for instance, might be available quickly.

And remember, not all help a loved one may need comes from limited government programs. Private for-profit and not-for-profit agencies offer elder care services and support. Some agencies charge a lot, but many services are free or reasonably priced. Be persistent. Don't give up.

Here's a list of the type of help that's available. If you want to learn more about the terms elder care specialists use, there's a thorough glossary on the Alzheimer's Association website, www.alz.org

• Adult day care
• Assistive devises - Implements to help a disabled person perform a variety of tasks, such as reaching, putting on clothes, standing, walking, even operating a computer.
• Bill payers - In-home visitors who help an older person stay up to date on their bills and bookkeeping.
• Case management - Case workers assess the elders needs, examining medical history and social environment, then arrange for services. Includes follow up.
• Chore - Yard and household tasks, including mowing, lifting and repairs.
• Companionship - In-home visitors who keep an older person company, talk, help prepare meals or pick up groceries.
• Counseling
• Driver assessment
• Emergency alert response
• Home safety evaluation
• Home repair
• Hospice - Medical care and spiritual and emotional support for people who are dying and their family members and caregivers.
• Respite
• Senior centers
• Meals
• Support groups
• Telephone reassurance
• Transportation

To find help or to get information about services, call an elder helpline.
• West Central Florida Area Agency on Aging Elder Helpine (for Hillsborough, Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties), 1-800-336-2226.
• Hillsborough County Elder Helpline, (813) 273-3779
• Area Agency on Aging for Pasco and Pinellas Elder Helpline, (727) 576-1533; Pasco, 1-800-861-8111

The telephone counselors at these numbers can refer you to helplines in any other Florida county. Outside Florida, use the National Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116.

For Your Information
Helpline operators at the area agencies on aging can help you find private services if you don't get the help you need through the government programs.

Hillsborough County also has a large listing of programs and services that's available through its Community Link website, www.hillsboroughcounty.org/comm/comlink/home.html. The site is part of the FLAIRS Network, www.flairs.org, which is a database of human services in several counties across the state.

Here are many of the not-for-profit groups in the Tampa Bay area that offer help to older people.

Hillsborough County
• Alzheimer's Association-Tampa Bay Chapter, 1-800-772-8692.
• The AARP, 55 Alive/Mature Driving and tax-aide programs, (727) 571-2277.
• American Cancer Society, (813) 253-0541
• American Diabetes Association, (813) 885-5007
• American Heart Association, (813) 289-6003
• American Liver Foundation, (813) 740-0045
• American Lung Association of Gulfcoast Florida, (813) 962-4448
• American Red Cross, transportation, (813) 251-0921
• Arthritis Foundation, 1-800-850-9455.
• Bay Area Legal Services, (813) 232-1343
• Catholic Charities, (813) 631-4370
• Centre for Women, Inc. (Senior Home Improvement Program), (813) 251-8437
• Communications Disorder Center, University of South Florida, (813) 974-2006
• Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, telephone reassurance, (813) 964-1964
• Division of Blind Services, (813) 871-7190
• Epilepsy Services, (813) 870-3414
• Family Service Association of Greater Tampa, Inc., (813) 238-3727
• Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST), (813) 251-7591
• Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8770; 1-800-955-8771
• Gulf Coast Community Care, (813) 987-6700.
• Hillsborough County Adult Day Care, (813) 272-6261
• Hillsborough County Cooperative Extention Service, nutrition education, (813) 744-5519
• Hillsborough County Department of Aging Services, (813) 272-5242
• Hillsborough County Health and Social Services, (813) 272-5040
• Hillsborough County Senior Citizens Nutrition & Activity Program, (813) 272-5160
• LifePath Hospice (Hillsborough, Polk, Highlands, Hardee), (813) 877-2200
• Life Enrichment Senior Center, (813) 932-0241
• Lutheran Ministries of Florida, Inc. Guardianship Services, (813) 354-0139
• Meals on Wheels of Tampa, (813) 238-8410
• Meals on Wheels, of Plant City, (813) 754-9932
• Meals on Wheels, Brandon area, (813) 689-8769
• Meals on Wheels of Riverview, (813) 677-5995
• Meals on Wheels, Sun City Center, (813) 634-9283
• Radio Reading Service for the Blind and Print Handicapped, University of South Florida, (813) 974-4193
• SHINE, Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, Hillsborough, (813) 740-3888, ext. 229
• Samaritan Services, Sun City Center, (813) 634-9283
• Self Reliance, Inc. Center for Independent Living, (813) 975-6560, (813) 975-6636, TDD
• Seniors in Service of Tampa Bay, senior companions, foster grandparents, (813) 932-5228
• Share-A-Van, Hillsborough, (813) 272-5126
• Social Security Administration, 1-800-772-1213
• Suncoast Gerontology Center, University of South Florida, (813) 974-4355
• Talking Books, (813) 273-3609
• Tampa Jewish Family Services, (813) 960-1848
• Tampa Lighthouse for the Blind, (813) 251-2407
• The Deaf Service Center, (813) 354-9522
• The Life Center, grief counseling, (813) 237-3114
• United Cerebral Palsy of Tampa Bay, Inc., (813) 239-1179

Pinellas and Pasco Counties
• Alzheimer's Association _ Tampa Bay Chapter, 1-800-772-8692.
• Alzheimer's Family Association (Pasco), (727) 848-8888.
• The AARP, 55 Alive/Mature Driving and tax-aide programs, (727) 571-2277.
• American Cancer Society, (813) 253-0541
• American Diabetes Association, (813) 885-5007
• American Heart Association, (813) 289-6003
• American Liver Foundation, (813) 740-0045
• American Lung Association of Gulfcoast Florida, (813) 962-4448
• American Red Cross, transportation, telephone reassurance, (727) 898-3111
• Arthritis Foundation, 1-800-850-9455.
• Bay Area Legal Services, east Pasco, (352) 567-9044; west Pasco, (727) 847-5494.
• Caring and Sharing for Independent Living, Inc. (727) 577-0065
• Communications Disorder Center, University of South Florida, (813) 974-2006
• Community Transportation Services, (727) 545-2100
• Community Aging & Retirement Services Inc. (Pasco), home care, bill payer, senior centers, (727) 862-9291.
• Deaf Service Center of Pasco/Hernando County, Inc., (727) 816-1314
• Deaf Service Center, Inc., (727) 398-8036
• Directions for Mental Health, Inc., (727) 547-4566, (727) 524-4464
• Division of Blind Services, (727) 893-2341
• East Pasco Meals on Wheels, Inc., (813) 782-7859.
• First Call for Help of Pasco County, West Pasco, (727) 869-6677; East and Central Pasco, 1-800-848-5542
• Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Techology (FAAST), (813) 251-7591
• Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8770; 1-800-955-8771
• Getting in Gear, senior driving program, (727) 576-1533
• Guardian Associaion of Pinellas County, Inc., (727) 894-5040
• Gulf Coast Community Care, (727) 538-7460.
• Gulf Coast Community Care Geriatric Crisis Response Team, 1-800-380-4303.
• Gulfcoast Legal Services (Pinellas, Manatee), (727) 821-0726
• Gulfport Extended Mini-Bus Service, (727) 893-1000
• Hernando-Pasco Hospice, Inc., 1-800-486-8784
• Hospice of the Florida Suncoast (Pinellas), (727) 586-4432.
• Hospice of Pasco, Inc., 1-800-561-4883
• Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Pinellas _ (727) 738-4307
• Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind, Inc., (727) 815-0303
• Neighborly Senior Services (Pinellas/Manatee), home care, adult day care, meals, transportation, senior centers, emergency alert systems, 1-877-540-0919
• Pasco County Elderly Nutrition Program, (727) 834-3340
• Pasco County Public Transportation, (727) 834-3322
• Pinellas Center for the Visually Impaired, Inc., (727) 544-4433
• Pinellas County Department of Consumer Protection, (727) 464-6200
• Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, (727) 530-9921
• Resource Center for Women, Inc., (727) 586-1110
• Radio Reading Service for the Blind and Print Handicapped, University of South Florida, (813) 974-4193
• SHINE, Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, (727) 576-1533
• St. Petersburg Free Clinic, (727) 821-1200
• St. Petersburg Lions Club Eye Clinic, (727) 893-7152
• Senior Victim Advocate Program, (727) 576-1533
• Social Security Administration, 1-800-772-1213
• Suncoast Center for Community Mental Health, (727) 327-7656
• The Harbor Behavioral Health Care Institute, (Pasco) (727) 841-4200
• United Cerebral Palsy of Tampa Bay, Inc., (813) 239-1179
• University of Florida College of Dentistry Clinic, (727) 893-2704
• We Can Fix It, Dunedin Senior Center, (727) 298-3032

PRIVATE SERVICES
Home Health Care
There are dozens of private agencies in the Tampa Bay area that offer a variety of medical and nonmedical services, from skilled nursing to light housekeeping. For a referral in your area go to your doctor, hospital social worker, telephone book or call an Elder Helpline.

All licensed home health care agencies in the state are listed on the state health care website www.floridahealthstat.com. Go to the "FacilityLocator" section and click on "Home Health Agency." The site also lists homemaker and companion services, adult day care centers, home medical equipment and rehab agencies.

For advice on how to select a home health agency, check the following websites:
• Associated Home Health Industries of Florida, Inc. www.ahhif.org
• Community Health Accreditation Program, www.chapinc.org
• National Association for Home Health Care, www.nahc.org

Geriatric Care Management

There's a specialty known as geriatric care management. These are people you can hire to figure out what your loved one needs and how to find the services. They can be professional guardians, social workers, lawyers or financial managers. They usually work on a fee-for-service basis. Services aren't covered by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance.

Care managers aren't licensed in Florida, but many are certified through a professional association.

For more information on what geriatric care managers do and advice on how to pick one, check out the Tuscon-based National Association for Professional Geriatric Care Managers, www.caremanager.org and the state chapter, Florida Geriatric Care Managers Association, www.fgcma.org

Support Groups
Even if you can find no home care assistance, seek out a support group through your hospital, church or an elder helpline. These groups are vital. They help you vent your anger and frustration and to share successes and useful ideas.

Publications
• "What You Should Know about Home Health Care" and "Long-Term Care Alternatives Handbook," Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, 1-888-419-3456, www.fdhc.state.fl.us
• "A Directory of Resources for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders in Pasco and Pinellas Counties," Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Area Agency on Aging, (727) 570-5151.