Hello All,
Happy August! I hope you are all safe and well. Since March, we’ve been living in a whirlwind of uncertainty. One thing that has remained true at Empowered Aging is our duty as a frontline voice for the older adults across our region and beyond.
During such challenging times, we have continued to advocate for those individuals in long-term care while working on expanding our reach and services with the launch of our Friendly Visiting and Telephone Reassurance program in Solano County. Through this new program, we are able to connect with vulnerable seniors in our community, and facilities, providing engagement and companionship through a team of highly trained staff and volunteers.
In addition to our newly launched program, we are proud participants in the Travis Credit Union Matching Gift Program, allowing us to bridge the technology divide through our COVID Connections campaign. If you make a gift today, it will be doubled by Travis Credit Union through the end of September and allow us to connect with seniors when we can’t always be with them in person. To make a donation visit the Ways to Give page and select Ombudsman Services as your organization of choice.
Please read on to learn more about how you can support the seniors in your communities. If you find yourself in need of help, know our team is always here to answer questions, concerns, or to help locate and access any resources you may need.
Nicole Howell
Executive Director
Bringing A Culture of Togetherness
Everyone knows that we are long-term care ombudsman, but what just as many don’t know is that we have several other programs connected to our organization that help our seniors in different ways. We have our Resident’s Empowerment Program in Contra Costa that connects seniors with legal services they may need to complete things like Advanced Health Care Directives and other documents that help older adults advocate for themselves.
Our Elder Justice program in Solano helps elder abuse victims get access to a range of support and services they may need. And, of course, we have our Elder Justice Lunch & Learn Series and are a collaborative partner in the Healthcare Career Pathway program helping students with addressable barriers enter the medical field as Certified Nursing Assistants.
And now, we’re proud to announce one more program to add to that list, Friendly Visiting and Telephone Reassurance in Solano County. Building a culture of togetherness means, as the recent pandemic has highlighted, means that we work to stay connected and ensure each other’s health and well-being no matter where we may be.
Designed to encourage socialization, Friendly Visiting, and Telephone Reassurance – Solano is a FREE program that will help vulnerable older adults engage with their community and connect with resources they may not have been able to access otherwise.
We offer compassionate companionship and friendly visiting through weekly telephone calls, video conferencing, in-home visits (when safe), social groups, pen pals, friendly pet visits, and a variety of other innovative ways to engage with clients to ensure health, well-being, and a sense of community.
In addition to building relationships, our trained team of staff and volunteers also assess for safety risks and any unmet needs. Our team will connect older individuals with resources such as nutrition assistance, medication reconciliation, fall risk management, and so much more.
We aim to empower individuals ages 60+ who may be homebound, bedbound, isolated, or at risk for loneliness and social isolation.
If you or someone you may know is interested in making connections through this program or are interested in volunteering, call 707-644-4194 or email buildingconnections@empoweredaging.org.
