Southeast Missouri Area Agency On Aging

Aging Matters, also known as Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging, is a not for profit organization serving an eighteen county area in Southeast Missouri, with the regional office in Cape Girardeau. The essential goal of our organization is to provide quality services to enhance the health, safety, and well-being of persons, age 60 and over, enabling them to live in their own homes for as long and independently, as possible.

We hope to increase the information and assistance that is getting out to possible persons, age 60 and over who are in need of our current services. We hope to do this through our Information and Assistance program who are taking calls, receiving referrals, and visiting future prospect clients in the area. We hope to increase the health, safety, and well-being of persons, age 60 and over, and provide them options where they are able to live in their own homes for as long and independently, as possible through our in-home services program, family caregiver program, transportation programs, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and our Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services. We also have the long term ombudsman program which was established by the Older American's Act to be a 'voice' for residents in long term care facilities to assure that the resident rights are being upheld.

We provide In-Home Services for seniors, age 60 and older, who want to remain living at home for as long as possible, but sometimes need help with various tasks and activities.
We have the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program to be a 'voice' for residents in long term care facilities, assuring that resident rights are upheld. This program advocates for individual residents, educates and informs the public regarding resident rights and long term care facility issues.
We have the Family Caregiver Program to help those who would like to be able to assist someone who is 60 or older and is chronically ill or disabled and is no longer able to care for themselves.The program supports caregivers in Southeast Missouri by providing educational programs, support groups and individual information and assistance, providing limited respite, and providing limited supplies assistance.
We have the Transportation Program which includes seven contracted transportation providers, providing services to handicapped individuals aged 18-59 and seniors 60 and older for medical appointments, shopping and other basic needs.
We have the Retired Senior Volunteer Program program which provides a variety of opportunities for retired persons 60 and older to participate more fully in the life of their community through significant volunteer service.
We have the Volunteer Intergenerational Center program which recruits volunteers of all ages in order to help expand services in not-for-profit agencies.
We have the Nutrition Program that provides senior center dining, home delivered meals, and distance dining at thirty-two OAKS senior centers in Southeast Missouri.

When our organization began over 48 years ago, we were limited on the number of programs and services we were able to provide. We have grown in the amount of services and programs we provide throughout the years and we continue to grow and see the demand for the programs and services that we provide. Currently, we offer the Nutrition program, the Information and Assistance program, the In-Home Services program, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program, the Family Caregiver program, the Transportation program, the Medication Management program, the Case Management program, the Retired Senior Volunteer program, and the Volunteer Intergenerational Center program. We just began providing Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services and anticipate adding more programs and services as we can in order to serve those in the area in need of our assistance. The need for our programs and services continue to grow and we plan to do all we can in order to provide quality services to enhance the health, safety, and well-being of persons, age 60 and over, and enabling them to live in their own homes for as long and independently, as possible.