United Way and Community Chest Funding Supports Elder Services
BERKSHIRE COUNTY - Many Berkshire County seniors are at risk of losing their independence because they are unable to live safely in the community without specialized intervention. Others need assistance to manage monthly financial tasks. For some, a hot, nutritious mid-day meal is all that is needed to help them remain in their own homes.In response to these needs, Elder Services offers the Enhanced Elder Intervention, Money Management, and Meals on Wheels programs. Berkshire United Way, Northern Berkshire United Way, and the Williamstown Community Chest will provide funding again this year to support Elder Services in continuing to provide these three programs to seniors in need.
The Enhanced Elder Intervention program was created by Elder Services to address the needs of at-risk seniors who, due to a variety of personal challenges, are unable to live safely in the community without assistance. In many cases, these seniors exhibit extreme self-neglect, have undiagnosed or untreated mental health issues, deny having a problem, or resist receiving help. Trust must be built and a rapport established before many of these seniors will consider accepting help. Almost half of the seniors served in this program are age 80 or older.
The Enhanced Elder Intervention program benefits local communities by providing a safety net for fragile Berkshire seniors and by providing support to police and fire departments and other community organizations when they become involved in situations involving at-risk seniors requiring interventions for which they may not have the resources. The existence of the Enhanced Elder Intervention program frees municipal workers, such as members of the police and fire departments, to focus on their primary job descriptions: fighting crime, responding to emergencies, and putting out fires.
The Money Management program assists seniors with monthly financial tasks in such a way that the seniors maintain autonomy over their financial matters. The program matches trained volunteers with seniors to help organize monthly bills, write checks at the senior’s direction, balance monthly checking account statements, and develop a workable budget. The Money Management program often serves seniors dealing with unpaid bills, threatening notices, and the fear of eviction. The volunteer sees that bills are paid, budgets followed, and independence is maintained. The Money Management Manager works in conjunction with local human services organizations, housing authorities, Councils on Aging, and financial institutions to identify seniors in need of this service.
Elder Services’ Nutrition/Meals on Wheels program serves all of Berkshire County. Last year, Elder Services’ Lanesboro kitchen prepared over a quarter-million meals, producing and serving more than 1,000 hot, nourishing, noontime meals each Monday through Friday. Over 200,000 of the quarter-million meals were delivered directly to the homes of frail seniors, and the remaining meals served to seniors attending 14 lunch sites located throughout the county. Meals on Wheels drivers travel more than 226,000 miles each year to bring hot, nutritious, home-delivered meals to frail homebound seniors each weekday. The meals are delivered to seniors at their homes, and in many cases the interaction the senior has with the driver is the only face-to-face contact a senior has that day. The driver makes sure to hand the meal directly to the senior and see how they are doing, providing an important “wellness check.”
Elder Services Nutrition/Meals on Wheels program has been dangerously under-funded for years even as the cost of preparing, serving and delivering the meals to seniors who need them has continued to increase. The Meals on Wheels program, which has a very lean budget, needs community support in the form of donations, sponsorships and grants, to help reduce its operating deficit.
United Way/Community Chest allocations for these three programs for the fiscal year July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010 are: Berkshire United Way, $64,500 to help seniors in Central and Southern Berkshire County, Northern Berkshire United Way, $15,900 to help seniors in Northern Berkshire County, and Williamstown Community Chest, $11,000 for Williamstown residents.
The invaluable support provided by Berkshire United Way, Northern Berkshire United Way, and Williamstown Community Chest will help Elder Services fulfill its mission to provide Berkshire seniors the opportunity to live with dignity, independence, and self-determination, and to achieve the highest possible quality of life.
To learn more about Enhanced Elder Intervention, Money Management, Meals on Wheels, or other Elder Services programs, call 413-499-0524 or 1-800-544-5242.
