The one call that starts everything
The Miami-Dade home care program most families are searching for is not run by the county directly. It is the state's Community Care for the Elderly program, and in our area it is managed by the Alliance for Aging, the local Area Agency on Aging. You start by calling the Elder Helpline at 305-670-6500. That one call puts your parent on the assessment list for in-home services like personal care, homemaker help, respite for you, and adult day care.
The program is for Florida residents age 60 and older who need help with daily activities and are at risk of nursing home placement. It is not Medicare. It is not Medicaid long-term care, though that is a separate track the same intake worker can screen for. There is almost always a waitlist, and priority goes to people in the most fragile situations. The sooner your parent is registered, the sooner services can start.
The four programs the intake worker will screen for
The intake worker at 305-670-6500 can screen your parent for several programs in one call. These are the four names you will hear.
| Program | What it is |
|---|---|
| CCE (Community Care for the Elderly) | State-funded, for Floridians 60+ at risk of nursing home placement. No hard asset cap. Priority-based waitlist. |
| HCE (Home Care for the Elderly) | Small monthly subsidy to a family member or caregiver housing an elder at home. Different eligibility rules than CCE. |
| SMMC-LTC (Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care) | Medicaid track for long-term care in the home or a facility. Has strict income and asset limits and requires a separate financial application. |
| OAA (Older Americans Act services) | Federally funded services like congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and transportation. Usually the least restrictive to access. |
Who qualifies, in plain terms
Your parent likely qualifies to be screened if most of these are true.
- Age 60 or older
- Lives in Miami-Dade County
- Is a US citizen or qualified non-citizen
- Needs help with bathing, dressing, meals, or moving safely
- Lives alone, or the person they live with cannot provide enough help
- Is at risk of moving to a nursing home without support
- Has limited income and assets (screened at intake, not a hard cutoff for CCE)
- Have the primary doctor's name and number ready
How to apply tonight and this week
You cannot finish this at 10pm, but you can set every piece in motion.
Write down what you saw
Before you forget the phone call that scared you, jot the specifics. Falls in the last month. Missed medications. Weight loss. A burned pot. Confusion about the day. The intake worker will ask, and your notes will make the screening faster and more accurate.
Gather the basics
Your parent's full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, Medicare and any insurance cards, address, phone, and the name and number of their primary doctor. If they are a veteran, note the branch and service dates. This is what the Elder Helpline will ask for.
Call the Elder Helpline in the morning
Dial 305-670-6500 during business hours. Ask to be screened for Community Care for the Elderly and for the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program. Doing both at once is normal. The screening is by phone and takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes.
Apply to Medicaid financial eligibility separately if SMMC-LTC applies
If long-term Medicaid is in play, financial eligibility is a separate application through the Department of Children and Families. Apply online at ACCESS Florida (myflfamilies.com/access) or call 1-866-762-2237. The CCE screen and the ACCESS application run on separate tracks, and you need both to move.
Ask where your parent lands on the priority list
After the screen, your parent gets a priority score. Ask what the score is, what it means, and what to do if things get worse before services start. Get the name and direct number of the person you just spoke with.
Have a plan for the wait
Waitlists are real and can run months. Decide now who covers which shifts at home in the meantime, whether that is family, a private caregiver, or a mix. If you want an RN to come look at the situation and write a plan you can use either way, allaround does that visit free, generally within 24 hours.
What the program pays for, and what it does not
Services vary by assessment. This is the general shape of it.
| Covered by CCE | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Personal care (bathing, dressing, grooming) | Skilled nursing procedures |
| Homemaker help (light cleaning, meals, laundry) | Physical or occupational therapy |
| Respite so a family caregiver can rest | Wound care or injections |
| Adult day care | 24-hour live-in care |
| Chore services and minor home repairs for safety | Rent, utilities, or groceries |
| Case management | Prescription medications |
Hours awarded depend on the assessment and current program funding, not on what the family requests.
If you use the county program
- Free or low cost based on income
- Hours are set by the assessment, not by you
- Caregivers assigned by the contracted lead agency
- Waitlist is normal and priority-based
- Case manager reviews the plan periodically
If you hire privately in the meantime
Private non-medical home care fills the gap while your parent waits, or covers hours the program does not. You pick the schedule and the caregiver. Cost depends on how many hours and what kind of help.
With allaround, a registered nurse comes to the home for a free assessment, generally within 24 hours of your call, and writes a care plan you can keep whether you book us or not. Caregivers are W-2 employees, many bilingual in English and Spanish, and you have 24/7 access to a live nurse.
If tonight is actually an emergency
The Elder Helpline is not staffed around the clock. If your parent has fallen, is confused in a new way, has chest pain, is not making sense, or is unsafe right now, call 911 or their doctor. The program conversation can happen tomorrow.
Common questions
Is this Medicare or Medicaid?
Neither, exactly. Community Care for the Elderly is a Florida state program funded by general revenue and administered locally by the Alliance for Aging. Medicaid long-term care is a separate track with stricter income and asset rules, and the same intake call can screen for both.
My mom has some savings. Does she still qualify?
Probably yes for CCE, which does not have the tight asset limits Medicaid has. Higher-income participants may pay a small share on a sliding scale. Get screened before you assume your parent is out. The intake worker will tell you where things land.
How long is the waitlist right now?
It shifts with funding and with your parent's priority score. Someone at very high risk can get services in weeks. Someone stable can wait many months. Ask the intake worker for the current picture the day you call.
Can my dad get help if he lives in the Keys?
Yes, through a different local office. Monroe County is served by the Alliance for Aging's Elder Helpline, and services are delivered by lead agencies contracted for that area. Call 305-670-6500 and tell them the address.
Does the program send a nurse to the house?
The program's assessment is done by a case manager, not a nurse, and it focuses on functional needs and eligibility. If you want a registered nurse to look at the home, review the medications on the counter against the doctor's list, and write a care plan, allaround provides that visit free.
Can we use the county program and hire privately at the same time?
Yes, and many families do. The program covers a set number of hours per week, and private care fills whatever else is needed, whether that is evenings, weekends, or rides to appointments. The two do not conflict.