Senior Services and Rides for North Texas Families: Who to Call

If you are looking for help for a parent in North Texas, the first problem is not a shortage of services. It is that they are spread across agencies, cities and counties, and the same program can have three different phone numbers on three different websites.

This guide pulls together what the official pages say for the cities Lilly's serves, with the numbers each program publishes. Programs, fares and hours change, so confirm before you rely on any detail. Naming an organization here is not an endorsement, and Lilly's has no partnership with any of them.

Start here: your Area Agency on Aging

Texas Health and Human Services says that local area agencies on aging provide services to people aged 60 and older, their family members and caregivers, including information and assistance, benefits counseling, care coordination, caregiver support services, in-home support services and nutrition services. HHSC adds that these services are “targeted to those with greatest economic and social need.” You can call 800-252-9240 to be connected to the agency for your area.

Two details worth knowing. The North Central Texas agency lists a caregiver respite program that issues vouchers so caregivers can arrange a break with providers they trust, and either the caregiver or the care receiver must live in one of its counties. The Texoma agency lists monthly caregiver support groups in Grayson, Fannin and Cooke counties.

Other good first calls

• Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC): HHSC says you can call 855-937-2372 for yourself, a family member, a neighbor or a friend, and speak to a trained professional who will guide you to the right service options.
• 2-1-1 Texas: a program of HHSC, described as a free, anonymous social service hotline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 2-1-1 or (877) 541-7905.
• Eldercare Locator: a public service of the Administration for Community Living, at 1-800-677-1116.

Rides, by city

Senior transportation is where the local patchwork shows most. These are the programs the cities' and agencies' own pages describe.

The North Central Texas Area Agency on Aging also describes curb-to-curb transportation “within the county, by reservation” through the local organizations it contracts with. Ask when you call. For how to plan the trips themselves, see our guide to a transportation plan for appointments and errands.

Senior centers and meals

For meals at home, the North Central Texas agency lists home-delivered and congregate meals through contracted local organizations, and Texoma COG says its congregate meal sites are operated by Meals on Wheels of Texoma.

What to ask when you call

Where private, non-medical help fits

These public and nonprofit programs often have eligibility rules, limits and waiting times. Non-medical home care from an agency such as Lilly's is private pay and is arranged around your schedule. Many families use both. See the cities we serve on our areas page, and our guide to non-medical home care and home health care explains how the kinds of help differ.