New St. Louis Programs Help Caregivers

July 7, 2003
In St. Louis, as in other communities, there are a number of older adults and caregivers for older adults who are faced with situations and issues that call for outside help. The problem is that despite their desperate need for assistance, they simply cannot afford such services.

To address this issue, the area's leading eldercare provider, St. Andrew's At-Home Services, has announced the availability of its CARE Program: Caregivers Access to Resources for ElderCare and the new COACH Program: Connecting Older Adults with Community Help.

The programs will help older adults and caregivers in St. Louis, thanks to a grant from the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging.

The CARE Program, which debuted last year, met with such success that St. Andrew's secured funding to continue offering these services in the coming year. It is available to assist area caregivers by coordinating services that address the physical, practical, emotional and psychosocial aspects of caregiving.

Services include putting caregivers in touch with useful resources such as independent living facilities and elderlaw attorneys, and also offering counseling services, hosting educational groups, and basically assisting caregivers in any capacity they need.

To take advantage of these services the caregiver must be caring for an older adult who is at least 60 years of age and the caregiver or the older adult must live in the City of St. Louis.

Leon Givens, an older adult who has benefitted from the CARE Program through his caregiver, commented about the assistance he received from an eldercare specialist at St. Andrew's, "She researched my needs and coordinated advantageous resources. To have someone patient to talk to made all the difference in the world. It really helped me to feel better about my future."

Most recently, St. Andrew's secured funding so older adults who don't have a earegiver can also receive the care they need through the COACH Program.

As of July 1, 2003, adults who are at least 60 years of age and are residents of St. Louis City can also tap into these resources. An eldercare specialist will meet one-on-one with older adults to evaluate and assess their needs, come up with a plan designed to meet those needs, help them implement the plan, identify if they are eligible for Medicaid or other types of assistance, and serve as their source of guidance and support by offering counseling and direction and access to community resources.

"I am an advocate for the elderly," stated Angel McCormick, an eldercare specialist for St. Andrew's At-Home Services who will be helping to implement the CARE and COACH programs "My passion and purpose is to meet the needs of older adults throughout the St. Louis region. And, the new COACH program will allow me to target a population that is in need of assistance and would otherwise have to do without. It's exciting to be a part of such wonderful programs."

More information is available at St. Andrew's Web site, www.silverselect.com.