Resources for older adults in the Madison area

Start with the ADRC

The Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Dane County provides free information and support for older adults, adults with disabilities, and their families and caregivers. It serves Dane County residents regardless of income or assets. Its staff give unbiased guidance, help you weigh options and refer you to the right program.

• Information and assistance: specialists answer questions about health, nutrition and home-delivered meals, transportation, and Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, by phone, email, home visit or in the office.
• Benefit specialists: Elder Benefit Specialists help people 60 and older with problems involving Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other public benefits. Disability Benefit Specialists serve adults 18 to 59.
• Long-term care and more: the ADRC is the access point for information about long-term care options and applying for public benefits, and it also runs dementia care, transition services and caregiver support groups.

The ADRC is at 2865 N. Sherman Ave. and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with other hours on request. Call 608-240-7400 (toll-free 855-417-6892) or email ADRC@DaneCounty.gov. Its resources page lists meals, transportation and senior centers in one place.

Senior centers

The Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St., is open Monday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (608-266-6581). Its services page lists a regular blood pressure screening, a monthly foot care clinic, a monthly free hair salon run by cosmetology students, River Food Pantry pick-up, and case management through NewBridge for adults 60 and older in Madison or Monona who meet income and living-situation requirements. It also hosts a nutrition site for group meals.

Most other communities have their own center, and the ADRC lists them: Colonial Club (Sun Prairie area), DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Middleton, Monona, Mount Horeb and Southwest Dane, NewBridge Madison, Northwest Dane, Oregon, Stoughton, Sugar River (Belleville), Verona and Waunakee. Programs, hours and eligibility vary, so check with each. For other neighborhood gathering places, browse community centers.

Meals

Dane County's Senior Nutrition Program, run through the county's Area Agency on Aging, has two parts:

• Group meals: adults 60 and older can eat at one of the county's senior dining sites, including the Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton, Stoughton and Waunakee senior centers. Meals are on a donation basis. The county's 2026 brochure says to call the site by 9 a.m. two business days ahead to reserve a meal.
• Home-delivered meals: the county says meals are delivered to homebound older adults by a volunteer, who also does a safety check. Wisconsin's Department of Health Services says a nutrition program coordinator confirms eligibility during a home visit.

To ask about home delivery, call the ADRC or the Area Agency on Aging at 608-261-9930. The county also lists SSM Health Meals on Wheels as a provider on the ADRC resources page, along with prepared meals delivered by mail and home-delivered groceries. The program also offers free nutrition counseling with a registered dietitian to adults 60 and older.

Getting around

Dane County lists four transportation options for adults 60 and older and adults with disabilities who live in their own home or apartment (people enrolled in Family Care, Family Care Partnership or IRIS aren't eligible):

• Group Access Service and Rural Senior Group Trips: scheduled group trips to grocery stores, meal sites, pantries and senior centers, door to door in accessible vehicles. Medical trips are not provided.
• Older Adult Transportation Assistance: scheduled individual rides to appointments and services countywide, usually temporary and subject to limited funding.
• RSVP volunteer drivers: rides mainly to medical appointments in a volunteer's own car, depending on driver availability.

To arrange any of these, call the county's Transportation Call Center at (608) 242-6489, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or contact your local senior center.

Metro Paratransit is separate. It's an ADA service for people who can't use Metro's regular accessible buses because of a disability. Eligibility depends on what you're able to do, not on age, and requires a written application and an in-person assessment. The decision letter comes within 21 days of completing the process. Call 608-266-4466. See our getting around guide for the rest of the bus system.

Help with Medicare

Wisconsin's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free, unbiased and confidential Medicare counseling. Counselors don't sell products or take pay from insurers. They can help with costs, eligibility, enrollment and plan choices, for Medicare members and their caregivers.

• Medigap Helpline: 800-242-1060, run by the Board on Aging and Long Term Care. It covers Medigap, Medicare Advantage, employer coverage and long-term care insurance.
• Part D and prescription drug helpline: 855-677-2783.
• Local help: the ADRC's benefit specialists can meet with you in Dane County.
• Suspected Medicare fraud or errors: the Senior Medicare Patrol line is 888-818-2611.

If you're also looking for a new physician, see our guide to finding a doctor.

Assisted living and care homes

Browse local communities in our senior living directory, then check any provider you're considering in the Wisconsin DHS Provider Search. The search covers providers regulated by the department's Division of Quality Assurance, including adult family homes, community-based residential facilities and residential care apartment complexes. You can search by name, city, county or distance from a ZIP code, and many listings show survey history from the last three years, including the number of violations. DHS notes results may be posted with a delay. DHS also publishes consumer guides to each type of residence.

At the library

The Madison Public Library's Home Service Program delivers materials to people in the city who can't visit the library because of an ongoing physical condition. A volunteer brings and collects books, large print, audiobooks, magazines, music and DVDs each month, and staff can reserve specific titles. Retirement homes, assisted living and adult day care centers can sign up too. Call 608-266-6314. Residents outside the city but in Dane County should call Dane County Library Service Outreach at 608-266-4419. The library also lists November events such as chair yoga, qigong and one-on-one computer help at its branches; see the libraries directory.