Services for Limited English Speaking Elders

About one in four older adults in suburban Cook County speak a language other than English at home. With this in mind, AgeOptions has two main programs to address the needs of older adults who are limited English speaking and remove barriers that may be experienced when accessing traditional aging services: Culturally and Linguistically Accessible Services (CLAS) and Senior Opportunity and Services (SOS).  

Current Culturally and Linguistically Accessible Services (CLAS) Provider Partner Agencies

AgeOptions created the Culturally and Linguistically Accessible Services (CLAS) Program in response to the needs of the limited English proficient communities throughout our service area. CLAS agencies identify and connect older adults who speak little to no English with culturally competent and bilingual services and programs through translation, referrals, and assistance in applying for services and benefits. CLAS agencies must have staff and leadership that are representative of the community they serve. 

Some CLAS agencies also provide congregate meals or Memory Cafes. 

CLAS Partner Agencies Serve All Areas of Suburban Cook County: 

• Alivio Medical Center (Alivio) – Spanish and Portuguse (Brazil)
• Arab American Family Service (AAFS) – Arabic
• Coalition of Limited English Speaking Elderly (CLESE) – Polish and Spanish
• Hanul Family Alliance (Hanul) – Korean
• Metropolitan Asian Family Services (MAFS) – Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Malayali, Kannada, Sindhi, Punjabi, Nepali, Arabic, Spanish, Bosnian and Russian
• Xilin Association (Xilin)– Chinese and Korean

Senior Opportunities and Services (SOS) Provider Partner Agencies

SOS Programs are specially designed to identify the needs of localized groups of older at-risk adults who traditionally face barriers to accessing services and helping bridge those gaps to our traditional aging services. For AgeOptions, when we fund local SOS programs, we ask the funded agency to identify the groups in their communities that need specific outreach and support.  

Currently, our SOS funded agencies focus on serving limited English-proficient older at-risk adults in their local communities, but in general, an SOS program could identify other targeted groups.

SOS Partner Agencies Serve Specific Service Areas: 

• • Aging Care Connections (ACC) – Polish and Spanish in Norwood Park Township
  • Leyden Family Services (Leyden) – Spanish and Polish for Leyden Township
  • Palatine Township Senior Citizens Council (PTSCC) – Spanish, Russian, Polish and Ukrainian for Palatine Township