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Help for seniors in need
Local funding supports Elder Intervention and Money Management programs
Many Berkshire County seniors are at risk of losing their independence because they are unable to live safely in the community without specialized intervention. Others need assistance to manage monthly financial tasks. In response to these needs, Elder Services developed the Enhanced Elder Intervention and Money Management Assistance programs. Over the next year, four local entities: Berkshire United Way, the City of Pittsfield, Northern Berkshire United Way, and the Williamstown Community Chest, will provide funding to enable Elder Services to continue to provide these two programs to elders in need.
The Enhanced Elder Intervention program was created by Elder Services to address the needs of at-risk elders who, due to a variety of personal challenges, are unable to live safely in the community without assistance. In many cases, the elder exhibits extreme self-neglect, has undiagnosed or untreated mental health issues, denies having a problem, or resists receiving help. Trust must be built and a rapport established before the elder will consider accepting help.
Those over 75 are most likely to be frail, homebound or in need of community-based services such as Enhanced Elder Intervention. More than 60 percent of the individuals currently served by the program are 80 or older. The Enhanced Elder Intervention program benefits local communities and their municipal workers by providing a safety net for fragile Berkshire elders and by providing support to police and fire departments and other community organizations when they become involved in situations involving at-risk elders requiring interventions for which they may not have the resources. The existence of the Enhanced Elder Intervention program frees municipal workers, such as members of the police and fire departments, to focus on their primary job descriptions: fighting crime, responding to emergencies, and putting out fires.
The Money Management Assistance program assists elders with monthly financial tasks while enabling them to maintain autonomy over their financial matters. The program pairs trained volunteers with elders to help organize monthly bills, write checks at the elder’s direction, balance the monthly checking account statements, and develop a workable budget. The Money Management Program often serves elders dealing with unpaid bills, threatening notices, and the fear of eviction. The volunteer sees that bills are paid, budgets followed, and independence maintained.
The Money Management Coordinator works in conjunction with local human services organizations, housing authorities, Councils on Aging, and financial institutions to identify elders in need of this service. Referrals also come from other health and human service providers such as the Visiting Nurse Associations, the Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse of the Berkshires, and religious institutions. Also, increasingly, elders in need of service are referring themselves.
Allocations for the fiscal year July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008 are: Berkshire United Way, $40,150 to help elders in Central and Southern Berkshire County, $32,900 for Enhanced Elder Intervention (EEI) and $7,250 for Money Management (MM); City of Pittsfield, $19,306 to assist Pittsfield residents through the EEI program; a foundation grant from Northern Berkshire United Way in the amount of $17,500, to help at risk elders in Northern Berkshire County, of which Elder Services will allocate $13,525 to EEI and
$3,975 to MM; and Williamstown Community Chest, $9,200 for Williamstown residents, $6,000 for EEI and $3,200 for MM.
The invaluable support provided by Berkshire United Way, the City of Pittsfield, Northern Berkshire United Way, and Williamstown Community Chest will enable Elder Services to continue to help Berkshire elders who have nowhere else to turn.
To learn more about Enhanced Elder Intervention, Money Management, or other Elder Services programs, call 499-0524 or 1-800-544-5242.