SENIOR NEWS LINE by Matilda Charles
Aging in place. Those are words dear to the hearts of many low-income seniors who fear having to move away from home when they need services. The department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is about to give $15 million in grants to organizations that can provide services to help seniors stay in their homes.
Called “Supportive Services Demonstration for Elderly Households in HUD-Assisted Multifamily Housing,” it would work like this:
Existing HUD-assisted senior developments can apply for three-year grants if they agree to provide services for aging in place, transitions to institutional care, housing stability, well-being monitoring and utilization of healthcare, such as emergency-room visits. The goal would be to avoid institutional care, the need for skilled nursing and expensive trips to the emergency room.
Developments will be required to have a full-time, on-site service coordinator and a part-time, onside wellness nurse to make assessments and coordinate care and support services. The program would be a test to see if initial plans work and to evaluate the outcomes of the demonstration.
A model program was started in Vermont a few years ago, and there are many success stories to show the effectiveness: An isolated senior who missed doctor appointments can now get rides and has learned to get around independently; another with physical disabilities has been given referrals to physical therapists; a depressed senior was recruited as a volunteer and has become more social, and so much more.
These are the types of services we need if we’re to stay in our homes. Those development owners who want to apply have until April 18 to do so. See www.grants.gov, and look for FR-5900-N-22.
(c) 2016 King Features Synd. Inc.
