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(808) 923-1802
Senior (Kūpuna) Resources
A collection of resources to enrich, assist, entertain, encourage, inform, and explore.
In an effort to assist members during the stay at home period due to COVID-19, the Waikiki Community Center has created a Virtual Community Center to provide informative, educational, fun at-home activities, and exercise sessions focused on cognitive and physical learning.
We have comprised a list of kūpuna (senior) friendly websites for you. These websites are designed specifically for the senior demographic. They contain information on various programs that are easy to navigate. So get ready to explore, to learn, to have fun, and to share your new experiences with others.
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If you or your family members do not have group coverage through an employer and seek affordable health insurance, you may compare plans via the Health Insurance Marketplace or purchase directly from an insurance company. The Hawaii Health Insurance resource provides senior adults and families with accurate, easy-to-understand information to help make informed choices and find the right affordable health insurance that Hawaii offers.
You can learn more about it here: https://www.affordablehealthinsurance.com/hawaii-health-insurance/
COVID-19 VACCINATION
Aloha United Way (AUW) is actively working to protect the health, safety, and well-being of our communities as Hawai‘i confronts the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following programs have been launched as part of this ongoing effort.
KUPUNA CALL CENTER
This service is for seniors on O‘ahu, and is layered into the Aloha United Way 211 Helpline. It is made possible through a partnership with St. Francis Healthcare system.
Those 65 and older can call 2-1-1 to speak with a trained specialist who can assist him/her/them with accessing COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Translation services are also available.
COVID-19 Frauds & Scams
The international law enforcement agencies and the U.S. regulatory bodies have been making declarations about the cybercrimes related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Crooks are taking advantage of the current pandemic conditions to defraud seniors. Stay informed about the current frauds and scams that are targeting seniors. Listed below are links to regularly updated resources:
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Fraud & Scam Alert Links -
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii - COVID-19 Fraud
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
White House/CDC/FEMA - coronavirus.gov
FBI Urges Vigilance During COVID-19 Pandemic
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in Action
Federal Communications Commission - Coronavirus Scams - Consumer Resources
The United States Department of Justice - Updates on COVID-19
National Consumers League - Stop fraud before it happens!
Snopes - The Coronavirus Collection: Fact-Checking COVID-19
Report Scams and Suspected Fraud to:
United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawai’i:
Website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-hi/pr/us-attorney-urges-public-report-suspected-covid-19-fraud
Email: usahi.covid19@usdoj.gov
Phone: 1.808.541.2850
Hawai’i State Office Consumer Protection (OCP):
Website: cca.hawaii.gov/ocp/consumer-complaint/
Phone: 1.808.587.4272
National Center for Disaster Fraud:
Email: disaster@leo.gov
Phone: 1.866.720.5721
One stop shop for resources that covers six categories:
Food, Fun and Entertainment
Mental Wellness
Physical Wellness
Resources for Seniors
Technology Is Your Friend
Safety Awareness
St. Francis Healthcare System Offers FREE Minor Home Modification Services to Kupuna Ages 70+
In Hawaii, falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries for our kupuna, resulting in thousands of emergency room visits and hospitalizations of local seniors each year. Through a grant from the Teresa F. Hughes Trust, St. Francis Healthcare System is now offering minor home modification services and assistance of up to $500 to local seniors, FREE of charge. Home modifications and services available to qualifying seniors may include:
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Grab bars for bathrooms and showers
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Night lights for better hallway lighting during the night
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ADA-compliant toilets to assist seniors in getting on and off the toilet on their own
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Assistive devices such as canes, walkers, and wheelchairs
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Housekeeping services that enhance mobility and improve indoor and outdoor safety at home
Eligible seniors must be 70-years-old or older in order to qualify for assistance. For more information about the home modification services available to local seniors, please contact St. Francis Healthcare Foundation of Hawaii at (808) 547-8006 or visit www.stfrancishawaii.org.
HFPR Guide - This guide was created as a tool to prevent individuals from becoming victims of fraud and identity theft. It is the third edition of a state wide multi-agency guide developed to focus on you, the consumer, and to inform the public about the many different popular frauds and scams happening in our islands today. It will also aid in directing consumers on where to get additional help and information.
The Adult Protective and Community Services Branch (APCSB) - provides protective services for vulnerable adults and home and community-based services to prevent premature institutionalization of clients.
University of Hawaiʻi Elder Law Program (UHELP) - provides limited legal services on Oʻahu. Older persons (nā kūpuna) and caregivers may benefit from the services of a private practice lawyer who practices in the field of “elder law.” Services include: Advance Health Care Directives (AHCD), simple wills, Power of Attorney (POA) , counseling on legal issues, issues relating to elder abuse, caregiving, guardianship/conservatorship, and other legal needs of the elderly.
Legal service is offered over the phone or internet: (808) 956-6544 or uhelp.edu@gmail.com
Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi - Legal Aid also offers help with issues affecting SENIORS and those that are facing HOUSING DISCRIMINATION and HOMELESSNESS. Legal Aid does NOT help with CRIMINAL or PERSONAL INJURY matters.
The only organization in Hawaii providing civil legal assistance to low and moderate income individuals. Types of cases accepted are Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, District Court (landlord-tenant, consumer debt collection, small claims), Veterans Assistance, Family Law and Estate Planning.
Volunteer Legal partners with volunteer attorneys to provide services to those who qualify based on income and legal issue. Volunteer attorneys are the backbone of the organization, without whom access to justice could not be achieved in Hawaii. Volunteer Legal understands that not everyone can afford an attorney, but may be able to help themselves resolve legal issues if they are given the right information, professional support, and assistance.
Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels - dedicated to helping Oahu’s elders and individuals with disabilities preserve their independence at home. We do this primarily by providing hot, nutritious meals and regular personal interaction with those we serve. If you are 60 and older and don’t have Medicaid, contact the City and County, Elderly Affairs Division at (808) 768-7700
Lanakila MOW - Free meals available at Kupuna Wellness Centers. As Oahu’s oldest, largest and only island-wide meal service for kupuna, we help homebound individuals maintain their independence and live with dignity in the comfort of their own home. Pre-registration is required.
Call (808) 356-8519 / (808) 356-8145 or directly contact the following locations:
Lanakila Multi-Purpose Center – located in Liliha/Nuuanu area. Monday thru Friday from 8 am – 12 noon (808) 847-1322
Moiliili Community Center – providing service to residents from Ward Avenue to Hawaii Kai. Monday thru Friday from 8 am – 12 noon (808) 955-1555
Pohulani Senior Living – located in Kakaako area. Monday thru Friday from 9 am – 1 pm (808) 352-0294
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Elderly Affairs Division (EAD) - Honolulu City and County's Resource for Aging, Disability and Caregiving. Our agency offers help for seniors, persons with disabilities, and caregivers.
Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) - helps older adults, individuals with disabilities, and family caregivers find options for long term supports and services available to them in the State of Hawaii.
AARP
AARP Hawaiʻi - News, events and activities for Hawaii residents age 50-plus. Here to help you take on today – and every day. From sharing practical resources, to holding fun activities and events, AARP is providing opportunities to connect and help build an even stronger Hawaiʻi for all ages to live, work and play.
AGING
Retire WOW - Retirement in Style. Get online guidance for retirement. Spanning health, finance and spirituality, these articles focus on getting the most out of "life after work.” The interactive site invites you to join online classes and ask questions of experts in senior-related matters.
CAREGIVING
Kōkua Mau - Hawaii’s trusted resource for accurate information on advance care planning (ACP) as well as hospice and palliative care.
Kōkua Mau means ‘Continuous Care‘ in Hawaiian.
CAREGIVING
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) - to improve the quality of life for family caregivers and the people who receive their care. FCA provides services, education programs, and resources that are designed with caregivers’ needs in mind and offer support, tailored information, and tools to manage the complex demands of caregiving.
CAREGIVING
ʻOhana Caregivers - Raising grandchildren is associated with financial, physical, and emotional costs, particularly when it occurs in response to an unexpected crisis in the lives of the children’s biological parents, such as illness or incarceration. It is also associated with happiness, and grandchildren can help you feel younger!
Medicare -The official U.S government site for Medicare. Find doctors and medical facilities. Compare drug and health plans. See if that test is covered. Under “Care and Support” you'll find topics ranging from smoking cessation to prostate cancer screening.
The Medicare Resource Center helps guide you through all of the Medicare plan options and provides a list of helpful community organizations across Hawaii that can further support seniors with choosing a plan that meets your financial and medical needs.
Web MD - Age 50 or older? Get information about medical treatments, exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle in WebMD's 50+: Live Better, Longer center. Perform a search on any health topic and you'll probably get a webmd.com link on the first page. There's good reason for that: their articles on health are authoritative (often written by doctors and easy to read/understand).
Phone-A-Friend - This program provides regularly scheduled calls for seniors who live alone or are socially isolated and have little or no contact with people outside their home. Calls are made by trained Phone-A-Friend volunteers. The goal of the project is to help prevent isolation, decrease loneliness, and provide a safety check for isolated, homebound seniors. Receive regularly scheduled calls if you live alone, socially isolated or have little or no contact with people outside your home. Senior Intake Line: (808) 527-4777
Transportation Services - This program provides island-wide, curb-to-curb, and door-to-door transportation for seniors ages 60 and older for medical appointments, benefit appointments, group dining sites, group excursions and group shopping. Call (808) 521-4357
NEWS
GOODNEWS archive of 21,000 positive news stories from around the globe, confirms what people already know—that good news itself is not in short supply; the broadcasting of it is. GNN was founded because the media was failing to report the positive news.
NEWS
HUFFPOST takes a people-first approach in everything we report—be it news and politics or lifestyle and entertainment—and we cover real stories about real life. Huffpost considers the needs, passions and curiosity of our readers in all of our journalism. If something matters to our readers, it matters to us.
NEWS
TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
Online Games
USA Today: Online Game Portal. Spend hours playing free games on USA Today. Play hundreds of games, quizzes, and puzzles online for free.
AARP: Daily games and puzzles to sharpen your skills. AARP has new free games online such as Mahjongg, Sudoku, Crossword Puzzles, Solitaire, Word games and Backgammon!
Senior Forums - the place to go when you have questions that you want answered by your peers. With an active community and topic headers for any interest, you will have fun looking through the forums and meeting other people.
NEWS
U.S. News – U.S. News & World Report is an American media company that publishes news, opinion, consumer advice, rankings, and analysis. Founded as a news magazine in 1933, U.S. News transitioned to primarily web-based publishing in 2010. U.S. News covers politics, education, health, money, careers, travel, technology, and cars.
NEWS
Next Avenue is a digital platform launched by PBS that offers original and aggregated journalism aimed at baby boomers. Next Avenue is PBS' first venture to begin on the Internet rather than on broadcast television. It was conceived and developed at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, MN.
CONSUMER
Consumer Reports - You could easily spend hours on this site: smart ways to invest your money; resist credit card temptations, etc. An American consumer organization dedicated to unbiased product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy.
FINANCIAL
The Motley Fool - The Motley Fool is a private financial and investing advice company based in Alexandria, Virginia. Its main business is online subscription services with investing recommendations, stock research, and analysis.
SSA
The United States Social Security Administration - an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.
AGING
Suddenly Senior - Over 4,000 pages of humor, trivia, nostalgia, forums, savings, travel, articles, and useful information for seniors 50+. Updates weekly! This website is one of the Internet’s best resources for generational yuks. The daily e-zine for everyone over 50 who feels way too young to be old.
LAUGHTER
Geezer Guff - the site for funny & feisty seniors. This hilarious website finds the humor in growing old. They tackle the subjects of money, health and politics with wry observation. cartoons, funny videos, and jokes (funny) and blogs that address everything from the serious to the silly (feisty).
AGING
LoveToKnow Seniors - is devoted exclusively to senior citizens and their unique needs. Whether you are a senior citizen or the child or caregiver of a senior, you'll find the information you're searching for here. Interviews with experts; fashion and beauty; arts and crafts for seniors — you'll find a little bit of everything here.