Marlene Hildenbrandt, our Executive Director of Catholic Charities’ Senior & Caregiver Support Services, sat down with our team to talk a bit about Aging Life Services. Aging Life Services, a program of Catholic Charities’ Senior & Caregiver Services in Columbia and Otsego Counties, is designed to support older adults within the homes and communities of their choosing. Through the Aging Life Services program, Catholic Charities helps older adults to maintain the best possible quality of life as they age.
“What do I do? I never expected to be here… Suddenly, I can’t pay my heating bills and I've always been able to, how do I get those services? How do I get food stamps? How do I look into other living arrangements?” - These are just a handful of the questions facing older adults today, according to Marlene, who emphasized a strong need for elder care management services in our region.
When our older neighbors and friends hit a point of crisis, Catholic Charities has resources to support them in their time of need. The older adult population we serve often faces non-medical, yet life-essential needs that consistently need our attention.
To best fill the gap we face in case-management staffing, we at Catholic Charities rely on volunteers to fulfill any necessities that our clients require. Through the use of volunteers- we are able to lend a hand by transporting clients to medical appointments, or grocery shopping for those who are in need of assistance.
We also have volunteers who give friendly check-in calls to older adult clients, Marlene recounted one of these examples and how touched the client was by our continuum of care, “One volunteer who’s been calling this woman for going on three years now. The client doesn't really know who the woman is or why she's calling her, but she really enjoys that she does call her every week and whenever she calls she has a nice conversation with her. ”
These volunteer-provided services are especially helpful to our clients, given that many services that we offer are no longer accessible for the general population that we aim to serve.
Marlene highlighted the importance of such services, noting Catholic Charities unique approach to providing for an older adult in need by serving their life holistically, “There’s a component of the Aging life model that is really about looking at the whole person. So we want to look at every aspect of the person's life and that doesn't have to just be when they're in crisis.” At Catholic Charities, we work to serve every aspect of our client’s lives within a broad scope of services, whether addressing isolation, food insecurity, or medical needs.
The value that we impart to older adult clients allows us to address their immediate needs, while looking after their health, welfare, and comfort well into the future. Kathleen Scanlon, an Elder Care Manager with Aging Life Services, is constantly reminded of the merits that our services bring to our clients on a day-to-day basis, “My Aging Life Services clients have told me that they are appreciative of having someone who listens to them and takes action to resolve their concerns. Often I find that clients are without a person who looks at the ‘Big Picture’ of their lives. Because of my familiarity with concerns facing older adults and my knowledge of available resources, I am often able to navigate to a resolution more efficiently.” Here at Catholic Charities we are proud to continue to look at the big picture, as we move towards better resolutions in the lives of every older adult we serve.
If you or someone close to you are interested in volunteering with our Aging Life Services program, or in need of aid from this program; please do not hesitate to reach out to the resources provided below:
Catholic Charities of Otsego County: (518) 545-6631
Catholic Charities of Columbia County: (518) 275-8700