AgeWays Receives AIRS Accreditation

AgeWays Receives Accreditation for Its Information and Assistance Services

Southfield, MI (June 13, 2016) – AgeWays has received accreditation from the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) for its Information and Assistance  referral service. AgeWays is a nonprofit that helps seniors and people with disabilities in six counties in southeast Michigan (Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties). Its Information and Assistance telephone referral line provides a critical service for seniors in the region. Older adults or their family members can call the service and get unbiased assistance in finding the resources, organizations or programs that might be able to help them.

The agency keeps a database that lists thousands of resources and each staff member who answers the phone goes through hours of training to ensure they can answer questions accurately and have the knowledge needed to guide and refer seniors to the help they need.

The agency takes an average of over 8,000 calls each month. “People typically call us in a time of crisis,” explained Ryan Cowmeadow, AgeWays clinical manager.  “They need help for either themselves or an aging parent, neighbor or spouse. Often, they don’t know where to start. Our trained specialists answer questions on housing, transportation, home care, government benefits—anything an older adult might need help with.”

AIRS accreditation assesses the ability of an Information and Referral program to demonstrate full compliance with the AIRS Standards for Professional Information and Referral. It’s an assurance of the highest quality and competence for an Information and Referral service like the one that AgeWays provides. The accreditation process included a comprehensive review of the agency’s resource database, “secret shopper” calls and an onsite review.

The AgeWays Information and Assistance Line is available Monday through Friday, from 8 am. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 800-852-7795. There is no charge for the services and the call is toll-fre