Project Recommendation #2
Project Recommendation #2
With administrative support from the Area Agency on Aging, a coalition of organizations and volunteers will implement a hub-and-spoke community caregiving and volunteer network to assist older adults and people with disabilities.
California's 5 Bold Goals: Caregiving That Works; Affording Aging
AARP's 8 Domains of Livability: Health Services & Community Supports
One way to ease the housing cost burden on older adults and people with disabilities is to support and scale strategies that help keep residents in their existing homes (or in family homes) for as long as possible. This type of support has traditionally been provided by family members, which may still be the case for some older or disabled residents in Merced County, but certainly not all. As the American economy and culture have changed over time, the family caregiving model has proven unrealistic for many families. More and more older adults find themselves living alone in their later years of life, with few close relationships to rely on.
Community caregiving models, such as Village programs, have stepped in help fill the gaps in existing formal and informal caregiving systems and resources. These models are founded on the concept of neighbors helping neighbors. They offer non-clinical, volunteer support to residents in need of assistance with daily tasks, such as meal prep and delivery, home and yard maintenance, rides to medical appointments and grocery shopping, and social engagement.
Oftentimes, these caregiving volunteer networks are administered by community-based, nonprofit, faith-based and sometimes grassroots organizations. They are often comprised of and for older adults and people with disabilities. They are oftentimes formed through a cadre of caring, volunteer neighbors who want to change the paradigm of aging. It is important that they include staff, volunteers and recipients of assistance who are non-English native speakers, persons with disabilities, and cultural liaisons.
Starting a caregiving volunteer network would require a review of the gaps in existing caregiving systems, including the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) model, and potentially new funding to pay for administrative start-up costs and/or to maintain paid staff. Organizations interested in collaborating with the County to implement this recommendation could benefit from guidance and resources offered by Village Movement California, an organization dedicated to launching and sustaining the Village model across the state.
While local, county and state caregiving models, such as the Medi-Cal program In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), help provide affordable care for low-income older adults and people with disabilities, many Merced County residents rely on informal caregivers to defray the costs of long-term care services.
Merced County has a number of excellent caregiving resources to tap into for guidance, support, and to complement the implementation of a hub-and-spoke community caregiving and volunteer network. Central Valley PACE is a program that provides comprehensive health care, medication, therapy, transportation, social interaction, hot meals, and even adaptive equipment for the residents they serve.
Valley Caregiver Resource Center provides seniors and their caregivers with a wide array of services, including caregiver education and training, support groups, respite care, counseling, and caregiver transportation. Additionally, Day Out Adult Day Health Care Center and Day Break Adult Day Health Care are private facilities providing respite care for seniors and their families.
Village Movement California is a statewide organization that partners with stakeholders interested in transforming the experience of aging by advocating for innovative, community-based solutions that improve quality of life and expand choices at all stages of aging.
Relying on grassroots volunteer support, dedicated community partners, and existing Merced County Area Agency on Aging staff capacity, a pilot of a hub-and-spoke community caregiving and volunteer network can launch within twenty-four (24) months of the adoption of this Action Plan by the County Board of Supervisors. With new funding streams and depending on the level of support of community partners and/or a consultant(s), this timeline estimate could be expedited, as well as extended.
By June 30, 2030, new community-based caregiving and volunteer networks — of and for older adults and people with disabilities — will have at least 2,000 members and 200 active community volunteers in aggregate, with 85% of members satisfied with the volunteer services they receive, as indicated through an annual survey.
By June 30, 2030, community-based caregiving and volunteer networks will connect intergenerational volunteers with older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers to share their skills and compassion, resulting in over 15,000 hours of support annually. Volunteers will provide transportation, gardening, minor home maintenance, light caregiving, help with technology, shopping, friendly visiting, and more.
Previous Section: Project Recommendation #1 | Next Section: Project Recommendation #3