Princeton NJ Seniors Press Releases
S@H to Celebrate Its 5th Anniversary - Healthy Aging Program Designed to Enable Princeton-Area Seniors to Remain Independent in Their Own Homes Celebrates 5th Anniversary
PRINCETON, April 12, 2012– Secure@Home, a non-profit, non-sectarian initiative of Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Mercer County (JFCS), designed to help older adults “age in place” and remain in their own homes, is celebrating its fifth anniversary this May.
Secure@Home currently provides more than 225 older adults in the Greater Mercer County area with an umbrella of services including assessment, care planning, care management, 24/7 emergency phone availability, cultural and wellness programs, transportation, volunteer help, information and referral, monthly hellos, medication management and support for family caregivers. Officially launched in 2007, Secure@Home is an innovative membership-based program that came about after a group of seniors in the Princeton area approached JFCS with an appeal for an organization to offer the expertise and the services to help them remain in the Princeton-area homes that they’ve been living in for many years.
Program Director, Judy Millner, RN BSN, explains, “These people have been in the Princeton community for, 10, 20 or even 40 years. Their homes are filled with memories that they simply do not want to part with. Secure@Home provides access to the services that they may not otherwise have. We provide that extra help so older adults can maintain their independence and the lifestyle they’ve grown accustomed to.”
Linda Meisel, JFCS Executive Director explains, Secure@Home is helping to change the way people think about aging, while benefiting members and their families in so many different ways. She adds, “Our members continue to be vital and vibrant members of their communities and don’t want to leave the areas that they’ve lived in for so many years.”
How They Have Helped
Ruth S. is a vibrant and energetic Princeton resident in her early 70s. One day while gardening she pulled a weed and fell backwards. Ruth broke not one, but both of her wrists. As a result, both arms had to be fully wrapped and immobilized. Ruth explains, “My kids are somewhat at a distance away. They’re caring but they’re busy and have their own lives and I don’t want to interfere with that. I want to be independent.” Fortunately for Ruth, she was able to maintain her independent lifestyle by utilizing the services of Secure@Home. Since a care manager had already performed a complete assessment, Secure@Home was quickly able to mobilize its staff to help Ruth coordinate her rehabilitation, medical visits, physical therapy, home care and transportation needs. They were even able to send a volunteer out when she needed salt on her driveway after an early winter storm. “Secure@Home really did what I hoped they would do. I wasn’t in a position to find anyone and they found me help,” says Ruth.
Deena G., a 75 year old resident of Lawrenceville, has been the primary caregiver for her husband who suffers from multiple physical and cognitive health issues. Secure@Home has been providing help for the couple since 2009 – from advocating for better facilities for her husband while suffering from a severe bacterial infection to having a care manager accompany Deena to several medical procedures. Deena explains, “You never know when you’re going to need help. It’s good to know who you can count on and what can happen and how to handle things.”
Seventy-one year old East Windsor resident, June N., and her 76 year old husband are both healthy and independent in caring for themselves and their home. They joined Secure@Home for peace of mind. June explains, “Knowing that if I run into a problem, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, I can just pick up the phone and call one person who can make things happen. That’s tremendous security.”
With A Little Help From Our Friends
Gil Gordon, affectionately known as the “volunteer extraordinaire,” has been a Chore Corps volunteer since the program’s inception. Chore Corps provides volunteer help with household tasks that members can no longer do for themselves. Gil explains, “Whether it’s changing a light bulb or helping them with their computer, it’s something that has a marked improvement in the quality of their lives and they’re just delighted. These are people who are intelligent; they had wonderful careers, wonderful life experiences, but they are at the point where they just need a little bit of a helping hand.” Volunteers help with light household chores like changing hard-to-reach light bulbs, changing smoke detector batteries, changing furnace filters, hanging pictures and packing up boxes.
When Older Adults Join
A geriatric care manager will visit the member in their own home and will perform a thorough assessment of their overall health and wellness. This will include medical conditions, medications and physicians as well as an overview of the support network including children, relatives and friends. Health plans, prescription plans, preferred pharmacy and hospital and long-term care insurance will be document. The care manager will perform an assessment of their mental health and cognitive faculties as well as a home safety review.
Ready To Take Action
All of this information is constructed into a comprehensive and personalized care plan. This allows Secure@Home to have the most up-to-date information about its members so that should a health crisis occur, they are ready to help.
The Expertise Of Care Managers
A Secure@Home care manager will help coordinate all health related services or any other needed services during a crisis or illness. Secure@Home advocates and provides support for members and their families.
Available 24 Hours A Day, 7 Days A Week
Whether a member has been hospitalized or has a flooded basement, Secure@Home is available 24/7 with emergency phone assistance.
Helping Older Adults Get Around
Secure@Home connects older adults with various transportation options that can meet their needs to travel to doctor’s appointments, the theater, shopping, etc.
A Reliable Resource
Members can contact Secure@Home to get a referral for any personal or health-related service or home service professional they may need. This “one-stop shopping” resource includes information on physicians, home care agencies, handymen, electricians, plumbers and more.
And Furthermore…
Secure@Home hosts cultural and wellness programs – on everything from home safety to yoga. The program reaches out to members with a monthly hello and can check in more often if requested. Medication management is also offered for a nominal additional fee. The cost of the Secure@Home program is $350 per year for an individual and $400 per year for a couple.
Secure@Home is proud to celebrate its fifth anniversary in conjunction with Older Americans Month and on May 17th it will host a “Welcome to Medicare Program” from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at The Jewish Center at 435 Nassau Street in Princeton. To register or to request more information on Secure@Home, contact Beth Englezos at bethe@jfcsonline.org or 609-987-8121.
