ElderSource: Area Agency on Aging Services for Jacksonville Seniors (2026 Guide)

By Jacksonville Senior Advisor Care Team · July 16, 2026

What Is ElderSource and Who It Serves in Northeast Florida

ElderSource is the federally designated Area Agency on Aging for Northeast Florida, and it functions as the front door to the aging-services network for Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker counties. Families who are just beginning to research options for an aging parent often stumble onto ElderSource almost by accident, usually after calling the Elder Helpline looking for a single answer and discovering there is an entire agency built to coordinate everything from meal delivery to Medicaid waiver enrollment. Because ElderSource operates under the federal Older Americans Act and the state's Department of Elder Affairs framework, it does not itself provide hands-on caregiving, but it funds, contracts with, and oversees the local providers who do, from Jacksonville's urban core neighborhoods like Riverside and San Marco out to Fernandina Beach, Orange Park, and St. Augustine.

For a Jacksonville family trying to figure out where an aging relative fits into the broader senior-care landscape, ElderSource is often the most efficient starting point precisely because it is designed to triage need rather than sell a single service. A case manager can assess whether a senior in Mandarin needs a home safety modification, whether a St. Johns County client qualifies for the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (SMMC LTC) waiver, or whether a Nassau County caregiver simply needs a few hours of respite per week. That intake-first approach matters in a region where the volume of demand regularly outpaces available slots, so getting connected to the right waiting list early is often the single most important step a family can take.

Core Programs ElderSource Coordinates for Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker Counties

The agency's flagship program is Community Care for the Elderly (CCE), a state-funded, non-Medicaid program that pays for in-home services such as personal care, homemaker assistance, and respite care for seniors who need help with daily activities but do not yet qualify for or want to wait for full Medicaid long-term care. ElderSource also administers the Home Care for the Elderly program, which provides a small monthly stipend to relatives caring for a senior in their own home as an alternative to facility placement, and it oversees the Older Americans Act nutrition program, which funds home-delivered meals (often called Meals on Wheels locally) and congregate meal sites at senior centers across Jacksonville, Orange Park, and St. Augustine.

Beyond direct services, ElderSource runs SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders), a free, unbiased Medicare counseling program staffed largely by trained volunteers who help Northeast Florida seniors compare Medicare Advantage plans, Part D drug plans, and Medigap policies during open enrollment and throughout the year. The agency also serves as the regional access point for the Aging and Disability Resource Center, which functions as a single intake system so a caller from Fleming Island or Green Cove Springs doesn't need to know in advance which specific program fits their situation — the intake specialist sorts that out and routes the referral accordingly.

How ElderSource Connects Families to Florida's SMMC LTC Medicaid Waiver

One of ElderSource's most consequential roles for Jacksonville families is serving as a screening and referral point for Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program, the Medicaid waiver that pays for assisted living, adult day care, or in-home care for financially and medically qualified seniors. Because the SMMC LTC waiver has a statewide waiting list managed through the Department of Elder Affairs' prioritization system (the Comprehensive Assessment and Review for Long-Term Care Services, or CARES, screening), ElderSource case managers help Duval and Clay County families complete the initial 701S screening that determines waiting-list priority, and they can advise on which of the seven managed care plans serving the region — Sunshine Health, Humana, Simply Healthcare, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Aetna Better Health, Florida Community Care, or Molina — might best fit a family's existing physicians and preferred assisted living community.

While families wait for an SMMC LTC slot to open, which can take months to a few years depending on priority score and funding availability, ElderSource frequently bridges the gap using CCE or Home Care for the Elderly funding so a senior in St. Augustine or Yulee isn't left without any support during the interim. This bridging function is one of the most underused resources in the region simply because families don't know to ask about it; many assume the SMMC LTC waiting list is the only avenue and give up rather than calling ElderSource to ask what non-Medicaid options exist in the meantime.

Caregiver Support Services Available Through ElderSource

Family caregivers across Jacksonville, the Beaches, and St. Johns County can access respite care funding, support groups, and one-on-one counseling through ElderSource's caregiver support programs, which are funded partly through the National Family Caregiver Support Program. A caregiver looking after a parent with dementia in Arlington or Southside can request a respite voucher that pays for a trained aide to step in for a few hours or a weekend, giving the family caregiver a genuine break without having to privately fund the entire cost of in-home respite care, which in the Jacksonville metro typically runs in a similar range to standard in-home care rates.

ElderSource also maintains referral relationships with the Alzheimer's Association's local chapter and various dementia-specific support groups meeting in Orange Park, Fleming Island, and the Southside area, so a caregiver doesn't have to separately track down disease-specific resources on top of navigating the broader aging-services system. For veterans' caregivers, ElderSource can also point families toward the VA Caregiver Support Line and coordinate so that a veteran receiving VA Aid and Attendance benefits isn't simultaneously being assessed for duplicate state-funded services.

How to Contact ElderSource and What to Expect From an Intake Call

The most direct way to reach ElderSource is through the Elder Helpline at 1-888-242-4464, which routes to local intake staff serving Northeast Florida (some callers also reach a local direct line at 904-391-6699); the helpline is free and does not require a referral from a doctor or hospital. During the initial call, an intake specialist will ask basic questions about the senior's location (which county matters, since service capacity varies between Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker), current living situation, functional needs like bathing or medication management, and rough financial picture, since that determines whether CCE, SMMC LTC screening, or a referral to a private-pay resource is the right next step.

Families calling from a hospital discharge situation — for example, after a parent has been treated at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, UF Health Jacksonville, or Ascension St. Vincent's — should mention that context explicitly, since ElderSource often prioritizes post-hospitalization referrals to prevent readmission. It's worth calling even if a family isn't sure their relative qualifies for anything; case managers routinely tell callers about smaller programs, like transportation assistance or minor home repair grants, that families would never have found on their own by searching for assisted living or nursing home options directly.

Talk to a free Jacksonville advisor →

Common questions

What is ElderSource and how is it different from a regular senior living referral service?

ElderSource is the official Area Agency on Aging for Northeast Florida, a quasi-governmental nonprofit designated under the federal Older Americans Act to plan, fund, and oversee aging services across Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau, and Baker counties. Unlike a private senior-living referral company, which typically earns a commission for placing a family into a specific assisted living community, ElderSource has no financial incentive tied to any single provider. It performs neutral intake and assessment, connects seniors to a wide range of public programs including Community Care for the Elderly, SHINE Medicare counseling, and SMMC LTC Medicaid waiver screening, and can refer families to multiple providers so they can compare options on their own terms.

How do I apply for the SMMC LTC Medicaid waiver through ElderSource in Jacksonville?

Start by calling the Elder Helpline at 1-888-242-4464 and asking for a CARES 701S screening, which is the standardized assessment Florida uses to determine both medical eligibility and waiting-list priority for the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care program. An ElderSource case manager will also check financial eligibility thresholds and help gather documentation such as income verification and a physician's statement of functional need. Because the waiting list is prioritized by need rather than simply by application date, a senior with significant functional decline or an unsafe living situation may be screened as higher priority even if they apply later than another family, so it's worth completing the screening promptly rather than waiting.

Is Community Care for the Elderly the same thing as Medicaid, and does it have a waiting list too?

No — Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) is a separate, state general-revenue-funded program administered through ElderSource, not a Medicaid benefit, so eligibility does not depend on meeting Medicaid's stricter income and asset limits. CCE pays for services like homemaker help, personal care assistance, and respite care for seniors who need support with daily living but don't require full nursing-home-level care. That said, CCE funding is limited and Northeast Florida does maintain a waiting list during periods of high demand, which is another reason families are encouraged to contact ElderSource early rather than waiting until a crisis, such as a fall or hospitalization, forces the issue.

Can ElderSource help a caregiver who lives outside Florida manage care for a Jacksonville-area parent?

Yes, and this is one of the more common calls ElderSource receives — an adult child living in another state trying to coordinate care for a parent in Jacksonville, Orange Park, or St. Augustine long distance. ElderSource case managers can serve as a local point of contact, conduct in-home assessments on the family's behalf, coordinate home-delivered meals or personal care services, and communicate updates back to the out-of-state caregiver by phone or email. This is particularly useful during the window right after a move to Jacksonville from out of state, when the family may not yet know which local providers, hospitals, or support groups are reputable and would otherwise have to build that knowledge from scratch.