Senior benefits in Broward County, Florida

GUIDE (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience) is a Medicare program offered in Broward County through the Area Agency on Aging of Broward County. It gives people living with dementia and their caregivers a care navigator, a full assessment and care plan, caregiver education and support, 24/7 access to a care team or helpline, and help connecting to meals and transportation. Caregivers of someone with significant memory impairment may get a respite allowance of up to $2,500. There is no extra cost. The person must have Original Medicare (Part A and Part B, not Medicare Advantage), a confirmed dementia diagnosis, and live at home or in the community. People in a nursing home, memory care, assisted living, hospice, or PACE cannot join. Call 954-745-9567 and ask for the GUIDE department.

In this county: GUIDE is only for people with Original Medicare Part A and Part B as their primary payer; Medicare Advantage (including Special Needs Plans), hospice, and PACE enrollees are not eligible, and neither are people with mild cognitive impairment only. Medicare approves enrollment, typically in about 30 days. The respite allowance depends on a professional assessment.

The Aging & Disability Resource Center of Broward County is the Area Agency on Aging and Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) serving Broward County. As a one-call 'no wrong door' entry point, it connects older adults, caregivers, and people with disabilities to in-home care, home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation, caregiver support, benefits counseling, and Florida's Medicaid long-term-care and Community Care for the Elderly services. Services are for adults 60 and older, with priority for those in greatest need. Call Florida's Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337 to be connected to the Broward County ADRC.

Estimated service value: $500–$6,000 a year

Broward Health is the public hospital system serving northern and central Broward County, operated by the North Broward Hospital District — a public taxing district created under Florida Statutes Chapter 154. The system includes Broward Health Medical Center, Broward Health North, Broward Health Coral Springs, Broward Health Imperial Point, and a network of clinics. Broward Health's Financial Assistance Program covers emergency care and medically necessary services for patients who meet income and residency requirements. A patient whose family income is at or below 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines receives full financial assistance after a nominal co-payment of $10, $25, or $50. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent legal residents and must have lived in the Broward Health service area for at least 30 days before the date of service, with limited exceptions for emergency-transport admissions. Patients are also required to first apply for any available coverage they could potentially qualify for (Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicaid, Medicare, Florida KidCare) before financial assistance is approved. Apply by gathering the documents on the Financial Assistance Checklist and meeting with a Broward Health financial counselor; the counselor will complete the application online with you. Call 954-767-5344 to start.

Estimated bill savings: $500–$30,000 a year

In this county: Broward Health charity care is a per-encounter benefit — you qualify only at the point you seek care at a Broward Health facility. The income threshold above is approximate (Broward Health uses 300% of the current Federal Poverty Guidelines for full assistance; the figure shown is the rough 300% FPL cap for a single-person household and rises with household size). You must also (a) be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, (b) have lived in the Broward Health service area for at least 30 days, and (c) first apply for any other coverage you might qualify for (Marketplace, Medicaid, Medicare, KidCare) before financial assistance is approved. Service area covers northern and central Broward; for southern Broward (Memorial Healthcare System / South Broward Hospital District), apply through Memorial's separate financial assistance program.

Veteran Directed Care lets a veteran stay at home and choose who provides their care, including hiring a family member or friend. There is no age limit and you do not need a service-connected condition. You get a monthly budget to hire workers and buy services for daily needs — personal care such as bathing, grooming and dressing, plus house cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, shopping and other household chores. You can direct the budget yourself or name someone to do it for you. To qualify you must be enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration with a VA primary care team, meet the VA's functional eligibility test, be able to direct your own services or appoint someone to, and get a referral from the Miami VA. Call the Broward ADRC Helpline on 954-745-9779.

Estimated service value: about $0 a year

In this county: There is no age limit and no service-connected requirement, but four things decide it and the VA controls all four: you must be enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration with a VA primary care team, meet the VA's functional eligibility test, be able to direct your own services or appoint someone to do it for you, and receive a referral from the Miami VA. You cannot self-refer. The monthly budget amount is set by the VA per veteran and is not published. Not legal or financial advice.

The Area Agency on Aging of Broward County, Inc. (AAABC) is the designated lead agency and Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) for Planning and Service Area 10 — which is Broward County in its entirety. AAABC delivers Older Americans Act Title III-C nutrition services through contracted local providers: home-delivered meals brought to homebound seniors year-round, and congregate meals served at neighborhood meal sites for ambulatory seniors who want both nutrition and social contact. Meal options include a variety of cuisines and dietary accommodations: pureed, kosher, gluten-free, Cuban, American variety, and other specialty meals. Eligibility is straightforward — age 60 or older and a Broward County resident — and there is no income test, though participants are offered the option to contribute voluntarily based on what they can afford. Programs are co-funded through the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, the Areawide Council on Aging, and OAA Titles III-B, III-C, III-D, III-E, and VII, plus state Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) and Home Care for the Elderly (HCE) Acts. To apply or learn more, call the ADRC Helpline at 954-745-9779.

Estimated service value: $1,800–$4,500 a year

In this county: Congregate meals require only age 60+ and Broward residency — call 954-745-9779 to be assigned to a nearby meal site. Home-delivered meals additionally require documented homebound status or a qualifying disability that prevents you from preparing meals — an AAABC case manager makes that determination, and many providers operate a waitlist. There is no income or asset test, but participants are offered the option to contribute voluntarily based on means.

Broward County has five Focal Point Senior Centers offering a full range of services for older adults — meals, arts and crafts, recreation, transportation, education classes, health screening and support, information, referral and counselling. Separately, Adult Day Care Centres run daytime programmes in a professional care setting for frail older adults who live at home but need supervision during the day, letting them socialise and join planned activities while still getting health services. Some centres accept people with dementia. There are also five specialist Alzheimer's Day Care Centres, funded through the Area Agency, for people with a medically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease or related dementia — these charge a co-payment on a sliding scale based on what you can afford. Call the Broward ADRC Helpline on 954-745-9779 to find your nearest location.

Estimated service value: about $0 a year

In this county: The senior centres are open to older adults generally. Adult day care is aimed at frail older adults who live at home and need supervision during the day, so a needs assessment applies rather than a simple age test. The Alzheimer's day care centres require a medically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease or related dementia and charge a co-payment on a sliding scale — the agency does not publish the scale, so ask what your share would be. Places depend on availability at each location. Not legal or financial advice. The agency makes the final decision.

Free health and wellness classes for Broward County adults aged 60 and older, held at sites and community locations across the county. Topics cover safe fitness activities, nutrition, stress management and general well-being. One of them, Living Healthy with Chronic Conditions, is a six-session workshop of two and a half hours per session for people living with ongoing health problems such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, chronic pain or anxiety. Caregivers can take part alongside the person they care for, classes are led by specially trained facilitators, and the workshop is also offered in Spanish. Call the Health and Wellness Coordinator on 954-745-9567 (or the Broward ADRC Helpline on 954-745-9779) to ask when the next class runs near you.

Estimated service value: about $0 a year

In this county: The classes are free and open to Broward residents aged 60 and older, with no income test. They run on a schedule at rotating community sites, so joining depends on when the next series starts near you — ask the helpline or check the community class calendar. A caregiver can attend with the person they care for. These workshops teach self-management; they do not replace care from your own doctor. Not legal or financial advice.

Broward County Transit (BCT) offers a reduced fare for riders age 65 and older — currently $1.00 per single ride versus the standard adult fare — on every BCT fixed-route bus and the Breeze rapid service. Unlike Miami-Dade's Golden Passport, Broward does not waive the senior fare entirely; the reduced rate is available with either a BCT Reduced Fare Photo I.D. Card or any other acceptable government-issued ID showing proof of age. The Reduced Fare Photo I.D. Card is free and is the easiest way to prove eligibility on the bus. Photos for the card are taken in person at the Broward Central Terminal (101 NW 1st Avenue, Fort Lauderdale) or the Lauderhill Transit Center (1359 NW 40th Ave), Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.). Discounted monthly and 31-day passes are also available at the senior fare rate.

Estimated service value: $100–$730 a year

TOPS! is Broward County's ADA-mandated shared-ride paratransit service for people whose physical, cognitive, emotional, visual, or other disability functionally prevents them from using the BCT fixed-route bus system — permanently, temporarily, or under certain conditions. TOPS! provides door-to-door rides anywhere within the BCT service area, with the same hours and service area as fixed-route bus service. To apply, complete the entire ADA Paratransit application, including the medical certification, and return it by mail, fax (954-357-8345), or email (Paratransit@broward.org), or in person at the BCT Paratransit Services office at 1 North University Drive, Suite 2400B, Plantation, FL 33324. Disability documentation alone is not enough — every applicant must complete an in-person functional assessment as part of the eligibility process. BCT mails a written eligibility determination within 21 days of receiving the completed application; if the determination is not made within 21 days, you can use TOPS! provisionally until it arrives.

Estimated service value: $1,500–$8,000 a year

In this county: TOPS! eligibility is decided by an in-person functional assessment of whether your disability prevents independent use of fixed-route BCT buses — not by diagnosis or age alone. This check can tell you that you appear functionally eligible to apply, but the final determination requires (1) a licensed physician to sign the medical certification, (2) the in-person functional assessment, and (3) a written determination within 21 days. If you can use fixed-route buses for some trips but not others, TOPS! may certify you for conditional eligibility. Submit applications via Paratransit@broward.org or by mail to 1 N. University Dr., Suite 2400B, Plantation, FL 33324.

Broward County's Family Success Administration Division administers the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for residents struggling to pay their electric bill. Qualifying low-income households can receive up to $900 per year in direct utility payments — paid by the County straight to Florida Power & Light on the household's behalf, never as a check to the household. Eligibility is based on income and household size against 60% of the state median income. As of late 2023, all LIHEAP applications are submitted online only — mail-in is no longer accepted. Application windows open and close periodically based on funding availability; check the Family Success LIHEAP page or call the Call Center at 954-357-5025 (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) for the current status. Processing eligible applications takes up to 45 days, so apply well before any shut-off date if possible. Family Success also runs the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and emergency rental assistance programs through the same intake process.

Estimated bill savings: $200–$900 a year

In this county: Broward LIHEAP is online-only (no in-person or mail-in applications since November 2023) and processes applications in 45 days — apply early in the bill cycle, not at the point of shut-off. The income gate modeled here is 60% of State Median Income ($33,733 single in FFY2027, scaled up by household size). Application windows open and close based on funding availability — check broward.org/FamilySuccess or call 954-357-5025 for the current open/closed status before applying. LIHEAP payments go directly to FPL on the household's behalf; the household never receives a check.