The Nodaway County Senior Center Case Study

We visited Vintage Hills nursing home in Ankeny. This is a nursing home that provides 24/7 care for their elderly residents who can’t care for themselves. They have an assisted living unit and a memory care unit. I thought this was a very nice nursing home and everyone in it seemed happy. They provide

These services are great for elderly people to get out and enjoy themselves, interact and gather with friends. Many elderly people do not go anywhere due to lack of transport or people to go with, so this will help the elderly people have days out and have events to look forward to.

Hunterdon County is not a county a person would want to live if they are struggling or are homeless. Being someone that was homeless and still poor in this county, I can say this from first hand experience. My work at VHN leads me to believe that not much has changed regarding being homeless in this county. Meaning as I search for affordable housing or just listen to the veterans, Hunterdon County does not appear to offer them much more than I was in my time of need. VHN, as mentioned offsets these challenges, and all of the staff treat the veterans with respect and dignity.

This Senior Center offers multi-services such as congregate dining and Spanish, Creole and American meals cooked fresh on site. Recreational activities include Zumba, bingo, Pokeno, dominoes, billiards, arts & crafts and more. Professional services include legal aid, podiatry care, health screenings, education counseling and programs on spirituality. The volunteer program offers opportunities to give back to the community through advocacy work as well as aid in the daily function of center activities. For spiritual well-being, the center offers mass and worship services. Outings include trips to casinos, malls and local shopping centers. Eligible members receive subsidized para-transit rides or center van services when available. Counseling includes individual sessions, mental health group work, and peer support groups as well as therapeutic activities offered by the Alzheimer’s Association. Languages spoken by staff include Spanish and English, Mon. to Fri. 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Cutting their funding will lead to more health issues for people who used to go to them, thereby increasing costs on the public services providing by the government. It will end up costing more than actually not cutting their funds.

We will deliver nearly 45,000 meals this year primarily through volunteers. Meals are delivered Monday-Friday to homebound seniors. For many, this is an invaluable opportunity to check on their well-being. That’s when a meal means even more.

Rebecca Beitsch says in her article, entitled “Lawmakers Question Prairie Public Funds”, we can see that the public radio station KFJM can’t necessarily come up with the money to adapt on their own. The “budget includes $1.8 million to Prairie Public, which buys programming from National Public Radio and other public radio stations” (Beitsch n.p.). Losing government funding would mean the stations, like KFJM who is a part of Prairie Public and NPR, would have to pull funding from other areas in order to keep their programing in order to not lose their audience. This cut back has been brought up because there is “serious scrutiny (over whether) taxpayer money should be funding…” NPR stations (Beitsch n.p.). This is a

Located at 300 South Racetrack Road, this place offers a range of recreational activities for seniors and a lunch program for aging adults 50 and over Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in their dining room. During this lunch, seniors can mingle with others their age, make new friendships while enjoying a nutritious meal that is also affordable. Seniors don't have to member of this center to participate.

The organization selected is a governmental agency operated by the City of Phoenix. The specific department is HOPE VI and it is a part of the housing department. This department is funded by the HOPE VI grant through HUD’s Office of Public Housing Investments (OPHI) and is comprised of two programs: Community and Supportive Services, Family Self Sufficiency and Senior Service Coordination. The Family Self Sufficiency program focuses on self-sufficiency of residents living in public housing. This program creates a gateway for residents to save money for a down payment towards their own home. The Community and Supportive Services program comprise case management services for residents living in public housing and senior living sites. Senior service coordination focuses on meeting the needs of elderly residents within the senior housing facilities.

I visited Meals on Wheels of Syracuse located just outside of downtown. This is facility is part of a nationwide organization which provides nutrition to homebound seniors. Some of the challenges faced by this population and therefore by this facility are participant health concerns and limitations. Many of the seniors who are enrolled in this program have health problems which include hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These medical concerns have associated dietary considerations that must be accommodated. Meals on Wheels (MOW) staff must be notified of these concerns, and make appropriate dietary adjustments to the foods that will be served to these individuals. Along with medical concerns, many seniors also face physical limitations which may include difficulty eating, swallowing, and properly digesting foods. These issues must also be considered by MOW staff.

The Miami VA Healthcare System has an advanced food production system. The Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) uses a cook-chill system using a blast chiller. Meals are prepared three days in advance. The menu used at the Miami VA is a three-week cycle menu that has been used for many years for the production of patient meals. Cycle menus that are long enough help to increase patient satisfaction by avoiding repetitive meals. Services offered at the Miami VA include a Community Living Center (CLC), where most patients’ length of stay is over a year (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, n.d.). Due to patients’ longer length of stay, NFS offers a buffet service every Monday for CLC patients. One of my tasks when working with the CLC dietitian

I have contacted the Davis County Health Department, she explained that they get the inquiries about what services are available for seniors most of them are widowed and wanting to stay in their own home for as long as possible. Most seniors living a fixed income and one of their biggest concerns are related to the their long term financial security and the increasing cost of the health care and they begin to question in how long that they will be able to remain independent. Area Agencies on Aging is a local aging program that will help seniors be in contact with available services in their area in regards to locating assists for food programs and other programs to help with their utilities (Aging Care, 2017).

Each year, the Sheriff’s Department purchases enough food, supplies and food- related equipment to feed the County’s in-custody population. The Sheriff’s Food Services Division prepares and distributes over 65,000 meals and meal components each day for six detention and three probation facilities. Separately, the Health and Human Services Agency contracts

Home-delivered meals are designed to provide nutritious meals to homebound senior citizens, particularly those that live alone. These meal programs can improve the life and health of vulnerable, at-risk seniors within American communities.

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