The board of directors of the Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida (AAASWFL), a nonprofit serving older adults and adults with disabilities, has named Maricela Morado president and Interim CEO. Morado has been with AAASWFL since 2020. Prior to her new appointment, she served as Director of Programs and Planning and Interim Director of Client Services.
“I am very proud to have been entrusted with leading the Agency in this new capacity,” said Morado. “My priority will be to continue providing the programs and support our clients’ needs and maintaining our strong partnership with our community.”
As Interim CEO, Morado will be responsible for the leadership, development and strategic planning in support of AAASWFL’s mission, vision and values. She will continue to oversee all Agency programs, including Health and Wellness, Elder Abuse, and Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services (VDHCBS), as well as client services, the Elder Helpline or Information and Referral, and assessments departments.
Morado has more than a decade of experience serving the community and has worked in different roles at not-for-profit organizations across Southwest Florida. Before joining AAASWFL, she most recently worked as a partner specialist for the United States Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau.
Morado was also the residential supervisor and economic empowerment supervisor for the nonprofit organization Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. where she led, supervised, coordinated and trained staff and volunteers. As an expert on handling child welfare domestic violence cases and sexual assault cases, she helped augment the organization’s team of caseworkers through staffing, training and consultations. Prior to that, Morado was an advisor and community liaison for Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida where she coordinated local outreach efforts in support of pregnant women eligible for Medicaid.
Morado is bilingual, a member of the LatinX Graduate Student Association and Collier Dementia Care & Cure Initiative Steering Committee. She serves as a board member of the Transportation Disadvantaged Programs for Charlotte, Hendry, Glades and Collier counties. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Hodges University in Fort Myers and is currently working on obtaining a Master of Science in leadership and human resources development from Louisiana State University.
Last Updated: December 2, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Fraud Awareness & Prevention After Hurricane Ian
Following Hurricane Ian, the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Office of the Inspector General have put out a special newsletter to help bring awareness to common scams, how to avoid them, and what to do to keep safe. Follow this link to for the Fraud Awareness Week newsletter (PDF).
Posted: November 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Medicare and the Health Insurance Marketplaces
If you are eligible for Medicare, you should not use Marketplace health and drug coverage with two exceptions. It is illegal for someone to try to sell you a Marketplace plan if they know you are eligible for or enrolled in Medicare. You do not use the Marketplace to buy Medicare plans. To learn more, click here.
Posted: October 31, 2022 by Leave a Comment
How Medicare Works with Military Benefits
Posted: October 10, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Assistance with Medicare Open Enrollment
Not available on Tuesdays or Thursdays?
To request SHINE counseling, call the Elder Helpline at 866-413-5337.
To prepare for your SHINE counseling session, please complete this form and have it available for your counseling session.
Last Updated: October 7, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Volunteer to Help Older Adults Affected by Hurricane Ian
The Department of Elder Affairs, in conjunction with First Lady DeSantis’ Hope Florida initiative, is doing an “all call” for Hope Hero volunteers that can provide either remote telephone assistance or physical assistance to our most vulnerable seniors in the State’s most affected areas from Hurricane Ian. Currently, this includes Lee County, Charlotte County and Hardee County. We may be adding more counties to this list as needs are assessed.
If you are interested in being physically deployed as a volunteer to assist with disaster response efforts in those listed counties, volunteer duties will include, but are not limited to:
If you feel that you are unable to be physically deployed, based on the above guidance, do not worry we still need you! You can assist those affected by providing telephone assistance. Volunteer duties will include, but are not limited to:
If you are interested in participating in our Hope Florida Disaster Recovery Efforts and would like to become a Hope Hero Volunteer, click here to sign up.
Posted: September 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment
AAASWFL Names Maricela Morado Interim CEO
“I am very proud to have been entrusted with leading the Agency in this new capacity,” said Morado. “My priority will be to continue providing the programs and support our clients’ needs and maintaining our strong partnership with our community.”
As Interim CEO, Morado will be responsible for the leadership, development and strategic planning in support of AAASWFL’s mission, vision and values. She will continue to oversee all Agency programs, including Health and Wellness, Elder Abuse, and Veterans Directed Home and Community Based Services (VDHCBS), as well as client services, the Elder Helpline or Information and Referral, and assessments departments.
Morado has more than a decade of experience serving the community and has worked in different roles at not-for-profit organizations across Southwest Florida. Before joining AAASWFL, she most recently worked as a partner specialist for the United States Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau.
Morado was also the residential supervisor and economic empowerment supervisor for the nonprofit organization Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. where she led, supervised, coordinated and trained staff and volunteers. As an expert on handling child welfare domestic violence cases and sexual assault cases, she helped augment the organization’s team of caseworkers through staffing, training and consultations. Prior to that, Morado was an advisor and community liaison for Healthy Start Coalition of Southwest Florida where she coordinated local outreach efforts in support of pregnant women eligible for Medicaid.
Morado is bilingual, a member of the LatinX Graduate Student Association and Collier Dementia Care & Cure Initiative Steering Committee. She serves as a board member of the Transportation Disadvantaged Programs for Charlotte, Hendry, Glades and Collier counties. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Hodges University in Fort Myers and is currently working on obtaining a Master of Science in leadership and human resources development from Louisiana State University.
Posted: September 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Medicare Minute: Changing Your Part D Plan
Sometimes a Part D plan’s premium increases or the plan does not cover your new medication. To learn how you can choose and enroll in a new Part D plan, click here.
Posted: August 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Volunteers Needed to Lead Arthritis Foundation Exercise Classes
Posted: August 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Take Control of Your Health: 6 Steps to Prevent a Fall
By: National Council on Aging
Every 11 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury. Many falls are preventable. Stay safe with these tips:
To learn more, visit ncoa.org/FallsPrevention and download this helpful reference tip guide (pdf).
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