Guest:  Amanda Pinter

Topic:  NY Connects working with the local offices for the Aging

Duration:  5:35

Published:  March 18, 2021

Host:  Welcome to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of Western New York Independent Living. Our guest today is Amanda Pinter, New York Connects Region One Coordinator at Western New York Independent Living, and your host is yours truly Ernie Churchwell. Welcome to the program Amanda.

Guest:  Thank you for having me.

Host:  It's our pleasure. I suspect that there are probably some people listening that are not familiar with New York Connects, you're actually part of something that goes across the Empire State, and you work in coordination with a local office of the aging or some such thing. Could you tell us about your position in this grouping?

Guest:  Yes, definitely. So, what is New York Connects. So, we offer assistance in linking individuals with long term supports and services. We partner with the Office for the Aging, they're really experts in dealing with the aging population. And we're the experts in dealing with people with all kinds of disabilities. So, we can fill in the gaps that each agency may bring to the table. So, to make this a No Wrong Door system.

Host:  Are there particular age brackets, or clusters of disabilities or whatnot that you serve in particular?

Guest:  We actually can serve anybody that needs information about long term support. So, it could be older adults, children with a disability, caregivers looking for information on how to help a loved one, or even professionals that call in just looking for additional resources that they might not be aware of.

Host:  And what is it that you can do for these people once they connect to you?

Guest:  So, we can help them find care and support within their area. Remain independent, understand their care options. We also help with applying for Medicaid, snap, HEAP, understanding Medicare and what you need, what qualifications, any long term supports, we can help you really understand what is really happening.

Host:  I guess one of the main focuses that you have, talking about helping people become independent, is enabling people to get out of congregate care facilities such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Because these have, as we've discovered, in recent weeks, become particular hotspots for transmission of the Covid-19 coronavirus. What can you comment about that?

Guest:  Yeah, so we definitely work with staff, in really setting up the individual on what they need to know to be able to get out. So what resources are available. What insurance questions do you have. Who can we link you with that can really set everything up as a whole to be able to help you move out smoothly.

Host:  And for this effort, since you are part of a Center for Independent Living, are you occasionally calling upon some of your colleagues there to provide particular services?

Guest:  We do, we often work with other coworkers just with in our Center for extra information, extra support, extra help that we can jump in and best work together to help individual.

Host:  just wondering to give people an example without naming names, is there a success story that you'd like to mention?

Guest:  Yeah, definitely. We had a consumer that had called in. It was an individual that was looking to transition back into the home. They called us for the first steps on how do they even go about that. We link them up within our Taking Control department, as well as stayed in touch to and communicate to make sure that everything panned out smoothly, that everything could go as planned.

Host:vvThat's great. Would you believe we're already nearing the end of their time, but I'm sure our listeners will have additional questions for you What's the best way to contact you?

Guest:  We have a local telephone number you can reach us at. It is 1-888-564-5171. And that number will link you with the individual specialist in Erie, Niagara, Genesee Orleans or Wyoming County.

Host:  That's great. Thank you so much for being with us today. Amanda.

Guest:  Thank you.

Host:  You've been listening to Independent Perspective, a public affairs presentation of Western New York Independent Living. Our guest today has been Amanda Pinter, New York Connects Regional One Coordinator at Western New York Independent Living and your host has been yours truly, Ernie Churchwell.