Rhode Island Senior Services: The POINT, ADRCs & How to Access Help

Your parent just got discharged from Kent Hospital with a walker and a pamphlet full of acronyms. You call 211, get transferred twice, and end up on hold for a program that may or may not exist anymore. Rhode Island actually has a well-organized senior services network — the problem is that nobody tells you how the pieces connect until you're already in crisis.

The POINT Is Your First Call

The POINT is Rhode Island's statewide Aging and Disability Resource Center, operated through a partnership between the Office of Healthy Aging and United Way of Rhode Island. Think of it as a centralized intake hub. You call one number — 401-462-4444 — and a trained specialist helps you figure out which programs your parent qualifies for, which agencies to contact, and what paperwork to start gathering.

The POINT's walk-in center is at 50 Valley Street in Providence, but most families start with a phone call. The specialist you reach isn't selling anything. They're not a referral agency taking commissions from assisted living facilities. Their job is options counseling — walking you through the full range of state and community programs so you can make an informed choice.

What The POINT can do for you:

• Connect you with Medicaid LTSS intake at DHS if your parent needs long-term care coverage
• Schedule an in-home assessment to evaluate safety and daily functioning
• Link you to one of Rhode Island's six regional aging network hubs for local services like Meals on Wheels, transportation, and adult day care
• Refer you to Person-Centered Options Counseling through the MyOptions program

MyOptions and Person-Centered Options Counseling

MyOptions Rhode Island is the state's portal for Person-Centered Options Counseling — a structured process where a trained MyOptions Advisor sits down with your family and walks through every available care pathway. This isn't a generic brochure drop. The advisor asks about your parent's medical needs, daily functioning, housing situation, and financial picture, then maps out which programs fit.

The counseling is free and conflict-free. The advisor doesn't benefit from steering you toward any particular facility or program. They cover everything from home care and adult day services to assisted living and nursing home placement, including the Medicaid-funded options most families don't know about.

You can request MyOptions counseling by calling The POINT at 401-462-4444 or visiting the MyOptions portal at myoptions.ri.gov.

The Office of Healthy Aging

The Office of Healthy Aging is the state agency that funds and coordinates Rhode Island's community-based aging services. It replaced the old Division of Elderly Affairs and sits within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. OHA doesn't process Medicaid applications or run clinical assessments — that's DHS. What OHA does is fund the network of community programs that keep older adults out of nursing homes.

OHA oversees:

• The POINT / ADRC network — the statewide entry point described above
• Senior centers — local programming for socialization, meals, and health screenings
• The @Home Cost Share Program — a sliding-scale subsidy for home care and adult day services for people who don't qualify for Medicaid but can't afford full private-pay rates
• Regional aging hubs — six community action agencies and senior services organizations that deliver services in their geographic areas

If your parent needs help with meals, transportation, or basic home support but isn't Medicaid-eligible, OHA's programs are often the answer.

Six Regional Aging Network Hubs

Rhode Island divides its aging services into six geographic regions, each served by a community action agency or senior services organization. These hubs deliver meals, transportation, benefit counseling, and in some cases, directly coordinate home care.

Your parent's zip code determines which hub serves them. You don't need to figure out the assignment yourself — The POINT routes you to the right hub automatically. But if you want to contact one directly, the six hubs are listed on OHA's website at oha.ri.gov.

These regional agencies also run the evidence-based health promotion programs — fall prevention workshops, chronic disease self-management classes, and caregiver support groups that your parent's doctor might recommend but won't tell you how to find.

How the Agencies Connect

The confusion most families hit is that Rhode Island splits elder care responsibilities across multiple agencies. Here's the simplified map:

• OHA funds community programs and runs The POINT
• DHS processes Medicaid applications, handles financial eligibility, and executes the clinical level-of-care reviews
• EOHHS sets Medicaid policy as the state's single Medicaid agency
• RIDOH licenses care facilities (nursing homes, assisted living, home care agencies)

When your parent needs care, you're not dealing with one agency. You're dealing with at least two or three. The POINT exists specifically to navigate this fragmentation for you — start there, and let them route you to the right offices.

When to Go Beyond State Services

State services are free and objective, but they have limits. The POINT can tell you which programs exist. They can't fill out the Medicaid application for you, negotiate with a nursing home about a discharge, or draft a power of attorney. If you're hitting administrative walls — the DHS application has stalled, your parent's level-of-care assessment came back wrong, or you need legal authority to make decisions — you may need professional help.

The Rhode Island Care Decision Guide walks through every step of the care placement process, from the first call to The POINT through Medicaid eligibility, clinical assessments, and facility selection. It maps each agency's role, lists the exact forms to file, and includes the timelines families need to plan around.

See more Rhode Island guides →