2008 Age Odyssey Conference Added August 2008

Personal Care Resource Added October 2007

2007 State of MN "Age and Disability Odyssey" August 2007

First Year Partners in Care - Project Summary posted October 2007

Partners in Care Presentation- Age Odyssey 2006

Making the Most of Volunteers July 2006

Issue #6, October/November 2007

Issue #5, April 2007

Issue #4, October 2006

Issue #3, June 2006

Issue #2, March 2006

Issue #1, December 2005

Partners in Care is a collaborative project that is supporting seniors and caregivers. The focus of the initiative is to reach out to 100+ seniors in the community and their family caregivers, and “walk with them” on their care journeys for at least one year. The Normandale Center for Healing & Wholeness wrote the grant proposal and is the lead organization on implementation and program evaluation. The State of Minnesota, Department of Human Services is sponsoring the Partners in Care grant.

Partner Organizations
Our partnership includes the following organizations:

• Normandale Center for Healing & Wholeness (http://healing.normluth.org)

• Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

• Edina Resource Center

• Fairview Health Services, including Fairview Southdale and Fairview Ridges

• Hennepin County

• Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging

Who Is Participating
As of June 2006, 117 individuals have elected to join in the project through the Normandale Center for Healing & Wholeness and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (OLG). Senior participants range in age from 65 to 94 years, with an overall average age of 81. Younger adult daughters and sons (10 people), who are helping their parents, range in age from 39 to 60 years. There is quite an active group over the age of 90!  Seventy-two percent of the participants are women, and 28 percent are men.

Services Provided
Support provided to seniors and caregivers includes:

• A personalized one-on-one comprehensive senior assessment of care needs and goals

• Resource coordination and referral to services with follow-up regarding access and use

• A resource binder – a set of materials designed for seniors/caregivers residing in the west Metro area

• Matched volunteer support – providing respite care, help with errands, rides to appointments and shopping, and friendly visiting

• Transition guidance and support (guidance and reassurance during care setting transitions or living arrangement changes, by a nurse or staff member)

• Health education, screenings, and prevention around targeted conditions: diabetes, stroke, and falls

• Caregiver training, education, and support

• Balance and wellness classes

• A quarterly newsletter featuring project activities, upcoming events, and other information

In turn, seniors and family caregivers make a commitment to participate in the project for one year and make best use of the resources and support provided. There is also a research component to the project.

Goals of the Project
Overall, the goals of the initiative are to determine whether, through working together, we can:

• Improve care capabilities and self-rated health of older persons and family caregivers

• Increase knowledge of chronic conditions and health prevention methods

• Raise awareness and use of local services designed for seniors

The project is also designed to encourage better linkages between providers and agencies and improve methods such as data collection, referral methods, and tracking systems to make services more effective for seniors and caregivers.

The grant is part of the State’s efforts to expand and integrate home and community-based services for older adults that allow communities to re-balance their long-term care service delivery system, expand the respite care network, support caregivers, and promote independence.

What We’ve Done Together
Many project participants have taken advantage of the health education, screening, and prevention activities we’ve offered so far. We had 101 people attend the three stroke screening/education sessions held in January, February, and March at both OLG and the Center. Fifty people attended two falls prevention programs. Several are getting regular blood pressure checks through the two parish nurses at each church, and some have participated in the Tai Chi classes to improve overall vitality and balance.

Twenty-seven people came to the “Seniors on the Move” housing workshop in April, and several family caregivers attended the “Norma Knows” two-part training and education sessions in May. Another handful of individuals participated in the “Circle of Life” group wellness program in May and June. Fourteen learned from a dietician about nutrition and meal preparation for one or two at a class held at Jerry’s supermarket, and a “Senior Food Fest” at OLG featuring various food home delivery options was well attended.