Lurline Smith Mental Health
Lurline Smith Mental Health the Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS) was formed within the Department of Health as a healthcare reform initiative, bringing together all of the long-term care programs that serve senior citizens and people with adult-onset disabilities lurline smith mental health
The Office of Aging and Adult Services aims to develop, provide and enhance services that offer meaningful choices for people in need of long-term care. The office is committed to developing a long-term care system that provides choice, ensures quality, meets the needs of consumers and caregivers, and does so in a fiscally responsible manner.
The Louisiana Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) program links affordable rental housing with voluntary, flexible, and individualized services to people with severe and complex disabilities, enabling them to live successfully in the community.
After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, advocates for both people with disabilities and homeless people, along with consumers, service providers, and state/local governmental agencies formed a successful partnership that resulted in PSH being included into the LA Road Home plan. This led to the development of over 3,000 units of permanent supportive housing for extremely low income people with disabilities. Through partnership with the Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC), the PSH program has thus far served over 2,000 households, giving them not only permanent, affordable housing but the support services they need to retain that housing.
The Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS) administers home and community based long-term care services (HCBS) through various waiver and state plan programs for individuals who are elderly or have disabilities, assisting them to remain in their homes and in the community. The intent of these HCBS programs is to provide services and supports that are not otherwise available and that assist an individual to remain in or return to the community. These programs do not individually or in combination provide 24-hour-per-day supports. This means that in many cases it may be necessary and desirable for individuals to use other paid and unpaid supports at their disposal.