How to Start a Hillsborough Aging or Disability Needs Screening
Use one intake call to screen for in-home help, meals, caregiver support, transportation, benefits, and long-term-care routes.
Start here
Call the Senior Connection Center Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337. Describe the hardest daily tasks, current unpaid help, and what recently changed.
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
See Elder Helpline servicesWhat to have ready
- Age, Hillsborough ZIP code, phone number, and living arrangement
- Help needed with bathing, meals, movement, medicine, memory, or supervision
- Current family or unpaid help and whether it can continue
- Recent falls, hospital stays, caregiver loss, or urgent changes
Words you can use
“I need a needs screening for a Hillsborough County resident. Please screen for home help, meals, respite, transportation, benefits, and long-term-care options, and tell me which referrals start an application.”
Steps in order
- 1
Lead with the most unsafe task or recent change.
- 2
Ask which programs the screening covers.
- 3
Write down every referral and whether an assessment or waitlist follows.
- 4
Ask when to follow up and what change should trigger a new screening.
If the first answer is no or wait
Ask whether another program can address the urgent task while the preferred service is unavailable.
Official sources
Sources checked August 9, 2026. Confirm eligibility, hours, cost, service area, and current availability directly.
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