RUNNING HEAD: AGENCY PAPER: ELDERBRIDGE

Rhea Everett
Briar Cliff University
Sister Shirley Fineran
Social Work Practice III

Elderbridge Agency on Aging is one of six agencies on aging in the state of Iowa. They

are a private nonprofit organization that serves the needs of older adults aged 60 and over, adults

with disabilities aged 18-59 and their family caregivers. Elderbridge covers a 29-county area in

Iowa including north central, Northwest, and central Iowa. Their mission is to empower older

Iowans and Adults with disabilities to live with dignity and independence.
The major social problems addressed by Elderbridge agency on aging is assisting the

elderly and disabled population in Iowa in living at home for as long as possible. This includes

helping them locate needed services to live at home; such services as home health care,

homemaker services, transportation and nutrition or food assistance. These services may require

finical help, Elderbridge agency on aging will assist in filling out different wavier applications.

Elderbridge also has some money allotted to assist clients in emergency situations, such as

immediate need for a bill to be paid, food or medication. They also have contracts of funding
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with different agencies such as the different county public healths and public transportation.

This allows those agencies to assist clients referred by Elderbridge agency on aging at no or

reduced cost. Elderbridge has contracts with over 100 local service providers in the 29-county

area who use the funding of Elderbridge to meet the needs of their clients. They are also

developing working relationship with disability providers for the purpose of referrals.
Elderbridge agency on aging offers many different services that cover a wide range of

needs. The care coordination program involves developing a plan of care and arranging for the

services picked by the client to support them in their home. The case management team does

this. The Elder Rights program offered by Elderbridge focuses on prevention, intervention,

detection and reporting of elder abuse. This program starts with a confidential referral and intake

process that is followed by a intervention plan to reduce any risks identified. This program also

involves a follow-up until it is determined that the elder rights program is no longer needed,

which is done by a Elder Rights specialist.

The Family caregiver program offered by Elderbridge offers supports to those caring for

a loved one either physically or financially. This program focusses on helping the caregiver

remain healthy and improve their skills in the caregiving role. Another service offered is

Information and Assistance program. This is a free program that assists callers in finding the

resources that they are looking for without having to call multiple numbers. The IR&A team

member will also share information about needed resources to a client.

The agency also offers a Senior Nutrition Program that not only provides meals through

meal sites throughout the 29-county area they offer socialization. The meals are referred to as

congruent meals and are offered at low price on a sliding scale. Two programs that go along with

the nutrition program are a Matter of Balance and Stepping On. These programs are evidence-

based programs that work to improve the balance of clients to help prevent falls and injuries.
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Matter of Balance is geared toward those who have fallen and Stepping On looks at multiple

aspects that could affect a fall.

The last three programs offered through Elderbridge agency on aging are senior Medicare

patrol, Medicare savings programs and Older Worker Employment programs. The senior

Medicare patrol works to prevent, detect and report health care fraud, errors and abuse. The

Medicare savings program help to find savings in the different Medicare programs, these are

done through four programs, Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB), Specified Low-Income

Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB), Qualifying Individual (QI) and, Qualified Disabled Working

Individual (QDWI). The older worker employment program helps those over the age of 55 or

with a disability in employment.

The primary source of funding for Elderbridge agency on aging is the Federal Older

American Act Funds, Funds from the state of Iowa, Medicaid wavers and program income from

participants of their services. One of the requirements of the Older Americans act is that there is

no fee for services offered; the agency does ask for contributions per the ability of the client to

pay. This is especially used in the Nutritions program at the meal sites; participations are asked

to pay a small fee on a sliding scale for the meal, the highest they pay is $6.25.
The logo of Elderbridge agency on aging is a bridge with arches. The bridge symbolizes

the span of lifestyles and services offered to older adults. It also symbolizes the connection of

older adults to different services and resources. Currently the students role in the agency is to

assist the Elder Rights specialist and the Options/Family Caregiver Counselor and IR&A in their

duties with clients. The student is also working on starting a caregiver support group in the

Carroll office.
Socioeconomic factor of the agency is that a lot of the clients served are at or below the

poverty level living on a fixed income. They have been a limited number of different races that

the student has noticed. The two main races have been Caucasian and African American. The
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gender of clients served is mixed with a larger number of females seeking information and males

in the Elder Rights program at the Fort Dodge office. The biggest age population served is 60+

along with those affected by disability aged 18-59. The physical and mental disabilities of clients

vary depending on the situation, with the major of the physical disabilities being limited

mobility.
One fear the student has is the difference in age/generations between the student and the

older population served, and if the client will trust the students knowledge. This is due to

different ideas on politics and gender identity, along with being of a young age. The student is

also anxious that she will say something that is offensive to the older population. The field

instructor and field liaisons can assist the student with these fears and anxieties by supporting the

student and increasing her knowledge on the population and their general ideas.