By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
The county’s Department of Aging and Adult Services annually reassesses the services it delivers to older adults and compares them to the four-year Area Plan.
After conducting needs assessments, the department then holds a series of public hearings to share those results with residents.
On March 20, Lizeth Lopez-Avila, the department’s district manager, held a hearing at the San Moritz Lodge.
The Area Plan, she explained, provides funding for supportive services, nutrition services, health insurance counseling services.
The data for the latest needs assessment was collected from 1,051 older adults or individuals with disabilities and 169 family caregivers from 77 ZIP codes.
What were the top concerns in this needs assessment?
Transportation: The top three concerns were losing the ability to drive, being able to afford transportation (gas, car expenses, bus fare) and finding transportation in the area to get where they need to go.
Housing: The top concerns were having enough money to stay in their home, being able to stay in the home if they have disabilities and having a place to live or becoming homeless.
Health: Affording medical/dental/vision/medication coverage topped the health concerns. That was followed by decline in physical health, staying physically fit, maintaining a healthy diet, understanding medical coverage and plans and having accidents in the home (falling).
Financial: The top concern was worry that the money saved will not last during retirement. That was followed by managing monthly bill payments, having enough money to meet daily expenses and getting help with legal matters (wills, trusts, eviction).
Client care: Finding a reliable person to help at home received the most responses, followed by maintaining their home or yard, paying for care and doing heavy or intense housework.
The needs assessment also surveyed caregivers about their concerns.
They feel physically, emotionally and financially burdened by providing care. As for what they need, they responded needing help taking a break, help finding information, help finding services.
The goals set for the original Area Plan, Lopez-Avila said, align with these needs. The department, she noted, is looking for different ways to reach out to the community.
For the first time, family caregiving services are embedded in the plan. “We want to find ways to communicate with the caregivers,” Lopez-Avila said. “If they are taken care of, so are the individuals they are caring for.”
The department is also finding ways to modernize their services. “We know there is a need. The way they are being delivered or used has changed. We want to continue to modernize so the needs fit the community.
“We know the needs here on the mountain are different from the desert or San Bernardino. You may receive the same service but the way you use it may differ,” she said.
What services are available through the Department of Aging and Adult Services?
- Supportive services address physical limitations, promote socialization, continue health and independence and protect elder rights.
- Through the senior nutrition program, meals are provided congregate style or are home delivered and meet nutritional standards.
- The disease prevention and health promotion program focuses on improving the health of older adults.
- The family caregiver support program provides a variety of services that address the needs of informal, unpaid family caregivers.
- The health insurance counseling and advocacy program provides free, confidential one-on-one counseling, education and assistance to individuals and their families on Medicare, long-term care insurance, other health insurance related issues and planning ahead for long-term care needs.
- Long-term care ombudsman representatives assist residents in long-term care facilities with issues related to day-to-day care, health, safety and personal preferences.
Over the next three years, the department plans to increase the majority of these services by 20 percent.
As a department, Lopez-Avila said, we are working to ensure that people who walk in our doors receive some assistance.
The department will be presenting these updates to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors at their April 29 meeting. The budget for the Area Plan, Lopez-Avila noted, has not changed.
Older residents in need of any of these services or who would like to find out more about them should call (800) 510-2020.
For more information on the Area Plan, visit hss.SBCounty.gov/daas/resources/Area_Plan.aspx.
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