Lutheran Agencies Examine Programs to Help People Stay in Their Homes Longer
CHICAGO-(Business Wire)-August 31, 2009 - For more than a year Lutheran Services in America (LSA) has been examining social service programs and models designed to help people live in their homes longer, with the right kind of support, as people age.
About 300 Lutheran social service organizations participate in LSA, which serves more than 6 million people annually in the United States and Caribbean.
Under its "Aging in Community Initiative," LSA is testing programs to help Lutheran agencies start programs like The Gathering — a time when older adults struggling with memory loss gather one day a month for social interaction, meal sharing and therapeutic activities under the leadership of volunteers from the congregation. The Gathering takes place at Lutheran congregations, since church provides a more comfortable space than some institutional settings.
"The Gathering is meant to be a place for the individual with early- to mid-stage memory loss to have a safe and social experience, respite for the caregiver, and it gives volunteers the opportunity to serve their neighbors," said Kim Biletz, RN, assistant director of The Gathering, Liberty at Home, Ambler, Pa. Liberty works with Reformation Evangelical Lutheran Church, Media, Pa., to host The Gathering. Reformation is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
LSA has identified other models and programs designed to meet the need for effective, low-cost ways to help people remain in their homes longer and provide respite for caregivers.
Models include "Caring Together" — a plan that invites congregational volunteers to visit homes of aging individuals for companionship, social interaction and practical support while caregivers have some respite; "Caregiver University" — a six-module curriculum that prepares people for the caregiver role; "Lutheran Caring Community" — an individual-centered model that links volunteers with service opportunities and connects those receiving services with opportunities to serve others; and "Care Management Solutions Volunteer Care Team Program" — congregational volunteers partner with professional social work staff from Lutheran social ministry organizations to provide enhanced care management.
LSA's Aging in Community Initiative is funded in part by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans — a Minneapolis-based not-for-profit financial services organization serving members of the ELCA and other Lutheran church bodies. More information is at http://www.lutheranservices.org/aging_in_community_initiative on the Web.
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