Rural Programs

Adirondacks, New York

The IDeA Center is providing technical assistance to Mercy Care for the Adirondacks (MCA), a non-profit mission of the Sisters of Mercy, which has received a $25,000 award from the New York State Office for Aging to develop regional and local plans for Aging in Place in the Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondacks.  A package of planning materials will be developed to assist community volunteers from Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake in a year-long planning and implementation process beginning in September 2009.  

Download documents from the June 24, 2009 Educational Forum
Power point (hyperlink to document)
Meeting report (hyperlink to document)
Executive Summary (hyperlink to document)
Preliminary assessment tool (hyperlink to scorecard)

Sacandaga Watershed: Sacandaga Task Force for Senior Living

The Sacandaga Task Force for Senior Living (STFSL) is a not-for-profit membership organization formed in 2006.  This independent council of citizens is interested in developing or attracting senior living services in the Sacandaga basin centered on the village of Northville and the Town of Northampton.  It is a grassroots effort of concerned citizens who volunteer their time to develop programs that enhance the community and the well-being of older adults in the area.  Their work grew out of a concern with the plight of older individuals in the area who wanted to continue living independently but could not longer maintain their current residences due to economic or physical reasons.  The group has a 9-person board of directors and its’ activities are funded by member dues.

Rothsay, Minnesota PARTNERS

Population:  Rothsay includes seven sparsely populated townships with a total of 900 residents, 30 percent of whom are 65 and older.  It is a community with minimal resources.  Younger people are leaving and local businesses are closing, leaving older residents with fewer family supports, local stores and services.

Mission:  To support to older people living independently in extremely rural communities through better coordination, more effective use of resources and increased community support.

Sponsorship:  Community owned, designed and run.

Funding:  Receives support from the Minnesota Department of Human Services but half the funding is raised locally.

Service population: about 70 people per year.

Model:  PARTNERS is based on the Living at Home/Block Nurse Program, which includes 40 programs in Minnesota, Colorado, and Texas.

Services – friendly visits, skilled nursing care, personal care, help with household chores and repairs, meal delivery, transportation, “long-distance” grocery shopping, social events, annual health fair, Alzheimer’s support group.

In 1991, Rothsay residents were organized by a local nurse to start a Living at Home/Block Nurse Program.  It took them 8 months to create the People Living Around Rothsay That Need Routine Services (PARTNERS) program, which uses the Living at Home/Block Nurse Program model.  With two part time staff, volunteers, and the support of the business community, the program provides some services directly and coordinates other existing services so that older community members can be served more efficiently. Reciprocity is highly prized in the community, and older residents are expected to contribute to community life like everyone else. Older adults organized a Grandma’s Day and make birthday boxes for the local food pantry.

PARTNERS also relies on the business community to help older adults. Its Meals on Wheels program is a creative model utilizing both business and volunteer resources. A local truck stop makes meals that the Lions Club delivers to homebound older individuals. According to the program director, ““If we can keep elders’ money in town, businesses can afford to stay here. If elders leave and few move here to take their place, that affects the bank, the grain elevator, which operates the only gas station in town, the truck stop which is also the only restaurant in town, and the beauty shop. The businesses here have been very faithful to us.”

Waynesboro, Virginia Elder Alliance

Population:  21,454 people; 18% over 65; of total, 13% below poverty line.

Mission:  to improve the health and well-being of Waynesboro’s older adults by working together to fill in the gaps in aging services in the area.

Sponsorship:  The Alliance is a ne twork of service providers, businesses, and community members interested in developing a more aging friendly community. They pool resources to ensure service provision in a resource-poor community.

Services:  So far, the initiative has identified needs and gaps, and provides a speaker’s bureau, a monthly newspaper insert on older issues, a data base of home care providers for older people, and long distance caregivers; coordination of existing providers

Future Services:  Multi-generational day care center; involve more local elders.

Millennium Project

Population:  Tompkins County includes Ithaca, with 96,501 people, 9.6% are 65+; of total18% are below poverty line.

Mission:  A network of community service providers, and older adults to develop and support a community-wide aging services plan

Sponsorship:  Tompkins County Office for the Aging.

Services:  Initial services include coordinated information services and transportation options, dental care program, high school gerontology education, herbal remedies information on hospital website; project still being implemented.

The Tompkins County Office for the Aging brought together a broadly representative group of professional and lay community members to conduct a survey and information gathering effort. Their goal was to identify the critical and emerging needs of older people in the area. The Office for the Aging created eight task forces, which gathered information about older adults and their caregivers in the following areas: health status; health care financing; housing; income and employment; leisure and volunteerism; long-term care; mental health; and transportation. The

Office for the Aging facilitated the task forces, provided staffing and expertise, and developed a timeline and administrative structure for the overall effort. Task force findings and recommendations were collected and published as the Millennium Report. The Office for the Aging is now implementing the report’s recommendations.

Independent Elders Program (NIEP)

Population:  48,000 residents, 15% are 65+.

Mission:  To help older people maintain their independence and eliminate cultural barriers to accessing services.

Lead Organization:  Local Senior Center.

Services:  Help with household chores and repairs, meal delivery, transportation, “long-distance” grocery shopping, social events, education on elder abuse prevention, neighborhood outreach including a postal carrier alert program, emergency preparedness, yard maintenance, and information on senior housing.  Future services might include job retraining, flextime and other job accommodations; home chore services, home modification and senior-friendly housing options, tax relief, roadway redesign o r public transportation assistance as well as volunteer opportunities targeted to older adults.

Indiana’s Partnership for Lifespan Communities

The Indiana Partnership for Lifespan Communities was the first application of the state’s Advantage Initiative to develop and test a model of elder-friendly communities. The state funded five NORCs, two of which were rural.  The NORC’s worked to create plans and prioritize programming.  Initial issues of concern were also different, with more emphasis on central information systems, transportation, and home safety assessments.  The pilots emphasized a strong role for senior leaders, reversing the traditional flow of influence from provider to client.  Professionals became more engaged in community organization than they had in earlier models, which emphasized provision of services.

Westbrook, Maine Transportation Network

Population:  a small community 15 miles fr om Portland.

Mission:  to provide transportation and encourage older people to stop driving when they can no longer do so.

Lead Organization:  Not for profit community-based.

Services: The network provides 20,000+ rides each year to 1,200 people who are members.  Members pay $35 a year to join, and are charged rider fees when the ride is booked depending on distance and ride sharing.  Fees are subsidized.  The Network uses computer mapping to coordinate trips, map routes, and calculate fees.  All trips provided in cars.  Passengers plan their own routes and can chose to travel alone or share.  It operates across jurisdiction.