Awareness of Services
The Awareness of Services issue area focuses on the community's capacity to reach out effectively to older adults and their families and caregivers so they know how to access support services when they need them. This ranges from a community-wide single-point-of-entry information and referral system to individual service provider's understanding of aging issues and ability to assess, problem-solve with, and refer clients effectively.
Desired Outcome
Older adults are linked to supportive services in the community to accommodate their changing needs.
Background
Although the overwhelming majority of older Kent County residents want to remain in their homes as long as they can, more than 14,000 of them need assistance from others to carry out everyday activities. And while thousands of older adults in Kent County are served by community-based programs, two out of three Kent County elders who need assistance with everyday activities are not receiving the help they need. One in four older adults - including a disproportionate number of the most vulnerable groups - simply do not know whom to call for information about supportive services.
According to most estimates, Kent County's aging population will double in the next 30 years. Linking older adults with a daily nutritious meal, home repair service or other supportive services as their needs change can mean the difference between their ability to age in place and the costly and often disruptive option of moving to a long term care facility.
Awareness of Services Is Generally High...
One in four Kent County elders need assistance with daily activities. One in five say their health is fair or poor. In general, older adults in Kent County seem to be very aware of the multiple services available to help them meet their needs: hospice (90%), senior centers (87%), meals on wheels (86%), visiting nurses (85%), food pantry (81%), food stamps (81%), special transportation (80%), home health aides (79%), lifelong learning (75%), congregate meals (74%) and homemaker services (74%). The services they are least familiar with include respite (59%), home repair (56%) and senior volunteer services (55%).
...But Lower Among Specific Populations
Many of the elders who are least aware of services in Kent County are those who tend to be hardest to reach: low income and less educated elders, those who live alone, racial and ethnic minorities, and those with activity limitations - as well as older men and people 85 years or more in age.
Knowing Whom to Call for Information about Services
Most older adults in Kent County know where to get information about supportive services. However, a full 26% of Kent County elders cannot name a trusted source of such information in their community, compared to 20%4 nationally. One third of all low income elders in Kent County don't know whom to call.
Older adults in Kent County are most likely to look in the phone book (20%) or turn to public or non-profit social service agencies (18%) for information about supportive services. Nationally, 16% of older adults see medical centers or medical professionals as a good source of information about services; in Kent County, that figure is only 7%.
Older adults - and people of all ages - need more than simply a list of organizations who may be able to help. They often need help understanding which service is the best match for them and how they go about deciding which kind of service to seek. Truly effective information and referral systems must build in assessment of needs, initial screening for eligibility, problem-solving and consultation to help link their clients to appropriate services.
Recommendations
Access
Goal 1
Increase the number of older adults and their families who are aware of and have access to appropriate cultural- and age-sensitive information that enables them to make informed choices about community programs and services.
Objectives
- Develop a user-friendly system for accessing the aging information and referral system:
- Provide multiple access points (e.g., kiosks or other computer access throughout the community; 211; partner with area libraries and others to expand access to information and services, etc.).
- Use multiple communication media to meet the needs of persons with hearing, vision, language, and reading difficulties.
- Provide three-way calling service to enable continuity when transferring callers.
- Foster the expansion of the 211 information and referral system through effective planning and coordination.
- Expand the types of information collected to increase the usefulness to more individuals:
- Include information on caregiving, financial planning, employment, wellness, leadership development, volunteer activities.
- Improve the effectiveness of the information base of aging resources through use of technology and planning:
- Enable shared access to the database.
- Provide links to assessment, intake and consumer-directed care options.
- Use a common taxonomy.
- Provide real time information.
- Include private pay services as well as publicly funded ones.
- Include health services information to create an integrated system with "no wrong door."
- Provide information on aging services through existing locations and groups including city and county offices, churches, schools, local clubs such as the Torch club and the Women's City Club.
- Ensure access to information and assistance by targeted groups including the isolated and homebound.
- Integrate with community efforts to promote cultural understanding (e.g., through international centers, training, programming, etc.) to enhance their awareness of aging issues and capacity to help their constituencies access the community's aging network information, programs and services.
Communication and Promotion
Goal 2
Increase awareness among all parts of our community of the value and contributions of older adults as well as the services for older adults.
Objective
- Create media campaign with a focused message that is delivered by providers and others in an ongoing way.
Organizational Capacity
Goal 3
Strengthen aging and health service provider capacity to receive and share information that is useful for diverse client populations.
Objectives
- Support improved information and referral capacity through certification efforts and continuous quality improvement including feedback opportunities for older adults.
- Create internal structures within the aging network to encourage research and strategic planning.
- Leverage community efforts to promote cultural understanding (e.g., through international centers, programming, etc.) to enhance the cultural sensitivity of aging service providers, processes and systems.
- Increase participation of community health professionals in the West Michigan Alliance for Gerontology Education.
- Provide training on the unique needs of the elderly and their service issues to organizations that serve as points of information and contact for older adults (e.g., government offices, libraries, and churches). This could be done through a community speakers bureau of experts in aging.
- Increase training for providers of older adult services on: the continuum of services available within the network, eligibility and referral processes, and information available via the Internet (e.g., the 211 web site, etc.).
Empowerment
Goal 4
Encourage community-wide recognition of the value of older adults.
Objectives
- Create opportunities for older adults to demonstrate leadership.
- Build on national promotional campaigns that address stereotypes and negative images, or foster social engagement.
- Provide opportunities for older adults to engage in community initiatives.
- Increase the number of older adults who share the experience, perspective, changes, and needs of older adults by participating in community, business and civic planning and serving on government committees.
- Use social marketing to increase community awareness of the value, contributions, and needs of older adults.
Work Group
Co-Chairs
- Suzanne Filby-Clark - Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan
- Bob Haight - Heart of West Michigan United Way
Members
- Tim Allard - Alzheimer's Association
- Kelly Berendsen - Kent County Administrator's Office
- Scott Blinkhorn - Visiting Nurses Association
- Barb Coleman - Gerontology Network
- Anita Christopher - United Methodist Community House
- Cheryl Garrison - Kent District Library
- Deann Gilliam - Luther Community
- Barbara Hohman - Senior Neighbors
- Su Hood - Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse
- Heidi Isakson - City of Wyoming Clerk's Office
- Sue Karson - Life Ambulance
- Jane Konyndyk - Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse
- Susan Marks - Gerontology Network
- Vicki Pickel - Department of Human Services
- Todd Price - Pilgrim Manor
- Rebecca Rynbrandt - City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation
- Lody Zwarensteyn - Alliance for Health