Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
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
Agency Paper: Elderbridge 2
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,
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
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.
Agency Paper: Elderbridge 3
Matter of Balance is geared toward those who have fallen and Stepping On looks at multiple
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
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
Agency Paper: Elderbridge 4
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.