Keeping up a house gets harder with age. Gutters, leaky faucets, heavy cleaning and yard work can pile up fast.
Oklahoma’s Area Agencies on Aging offer several services that can help adults age 60 and older stay safely in their homes. These include minor home repairs, help with heavy household chores and light housekeeping.
The dollar amounts are small, but the help can make a real difference. Here’s what’s available and how to ask for it.
What Help Is Available?
Oklahoma’s Older Americans Act services include three types of assistance that can make everyday life at home easier.
- Home repair: Minor repairs, modifications or maintenance to a home you own and live in. The program allows up to $250 per participant each year for approved work.
- Chore services: Help with heavier household tasks, such as yard work, heavy cleaning and sidewalk maintenance. Participants may receive up to $150 per year for materials and disposable supplies needed for these jobs.
- Homemaker services: Help with preparing meals, shopping for personal items, using the telephone and light housekeeping.
The $250 and $150 limits are not cash grants. They apply to approved services or supplies, depending on the program.
For chore and homemaker services, the value of having someone help with difficult tasks may be more important than the dollar limits.
Not every service is available in every community. Your local Area Agency on Aging can explain which programs operate in your county.
What About Bigger Home Modifications?
If you need accessibility improvements beyond minor repairs, there may be another option.
Oklahoma’s SoonerCare ADvantage Waiver may cover certain environmental modifications, such as grab bars or wheelchair ramps, for eligible members.
ADvantage is a separate Medicaid program with its own financial, age or disability, and care-needs requirements.
Being 60 or older does not automatically qualify you for ADvantage. However, your Area Agency on Aging may be able to help you find out where to ask about additional assistance.
Who Qualifies?
The basic requirement for Oklahoma’s Older Americans Act services is that you must be 60 years old or older.
You do not have to be low-income to request these services. However, agencies give priority to older adults with the greatest economic or social needs.
Each type of assistance also has its own requirements:
- Home repair: You must own and live in the home where repairs are needed.
- Chore services: You must have difficulty with one or more everyday activities, such as shopping, preparing meals, managing household tasks or doing heavy housework.
- Homemaker services: You must need help with certain household tasks because of personal limitations or because family, friends or neighbors cannot provide the needed assistance.
Your local agency will assess your situation to determine which services may be appropriate.
You don’t have to be confined to your home to ask about homemaker assistance.
Funding and service availability vary by location, so meeting the basic requirements does not guarantee immediate help.
How Much Will It Cost Me?
These Older Americans Act services are offered at no cost to eligible participants.
Some providers may ask for voluntary contributions to help support the programs.
However, you cannot be denied services because you are unable or unwilling to contribute.
There is also no general low-income requirement for these services, although your agency may ask about your income to determine whether you qualify for other assistance programs.
How Do I Apply?
Start by contacting the Area Agency on Aging that serves your county.
Oklahoma has 11 Area Agencies on Aging that help connect older residents with local services.
You can find information about the state’s aging services network through Oklahoma Human Services.
You can also use the Eldercare Locator to find aging services in your area.
When you contact your local agency, explain which household tasks or repairs you need help with.
It’s worth asking about all three services at once:
- Home repair assistance
- Chore services
- Homemaker assistance
For example, you might need help fixing a leaky faucet, clearing an overgrown yard and keeping up with light housework. Your agency can explain which services may address each need.
Ask whether funding is currently available, whether you need an assessment and whether there’s a waiting list.
If the agency cannot provide the help you need, ask about other local home repair, accessibility or senior assistance programs.
Even when the repair budget is limited, your Area Agency on Aging may be able to connect you with additional resources.
Relief Recap
Oklahoma residents age 60 and older may qualify for free minor home repairs, chore services and homemaker assistance through their local Area Agency on Aging.
The home repair program allows up to $250 annually for approved work on a home you own and occupy. Chore services may provide up to $150 annually for materials and supplies, while homemaker services can help with everyday household tasks.
You don’t have to meet a general low-income requirement to ask for Older Americans Act services, but agencies prioritize people with greater needs. Each service has additional eligibility rules, and availability depends on local resources.
If keeping up your home has become difficult, contact your local Area Agency on Aging or use the Eldercare Locator to find help.
Even if the repair budget is small, getting assistance with the work or finding another local program could make it easier to stay safely in your home.
