Aging at Home marks 5th anniversary of helping seniors stay in their homes

RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » The mood was festive Nov. 2 as dozens of seniors, volunteers, staff and local officials gathered at Schoolhouse Center in Folsom for a cocktail party to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Senior Community Service’s (SCS) Aging at Home program.

The program’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of seniors by providing support for older adults who wish to stay in their own homes. The Aging at Home program connects seniors with reliable in-home and community-based resources, activities and discounts from trusted senior-friendly businesses, as well as provides rides and services by generous volunteers. The program offers chore assistance, handyman services, door-to-door transportation, health and wellness programs, an information and referral service and connections with local businesses that want to help older adults stay healthy, maintain their homes and remain independent.

Through the services of Aging at Home, Senior Community Services strives to reduce some of the day-today stressors, as adults over 65 age in place.

Since its inception, the program has provided services to help 811 people who are 60-years-old or above in the Lansdowne and Ridley areas, allowing them to remain safe and comfortable in their own homes.

According to Arthur Weisfeld, executive director of Senior Community Services, the agency is looking toward the future to expand the program into other areas of Delaware County. Weisfeld said that the Aging at Home program’s fifth year milestone is coinciding with SCS’s year-long 40th anniversary celebration.

“When the United Way started this program five years ago,” Weisfeld explained, “over 100 senior centers applied to have this in their community. We were selected as one of only three organizations out of Southeastern Pennsylvania. The Aging at Home program fits perfectly with our mission of helping older adults live happy, healthy and independent lives and remain a vital part of their communities. We started in the Lansdowne area and then expanded into the Ridley area. Our growth has been strong and steady.”

Currently funded through the United Way and support from the community, the Aging At Home program provides handyman services; transportation services to medical appointments, grocery shopping and community and civic engagements; assistance with navigating community resources and connections; referrals to SCS’s vetted business partners for plumbing, painting, roofing and other home repairs; discounted classes at SCS centers; and other benefits. In just the past year, according to the program’s statistics, Aging at Home provided numerous snow removal and yard work service visits, 310 transportation rides and 112 home repair visits for its clients.

Ray Kelleher, of O/K Builders in Collingdale, is among the vetted area contractors who have done home repairs for seniors through the Aging At Home program. Kelleher, who also has done work at the SCS facilities for over 30 years, said being a part of

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PEG DEGRASSA — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Elaine Bazis, a member of Schoolhouse Center, serves hors d’oeuvres to Trindy Grundy, director of Senior Community Services’ Long Term Care program, left, and Renee Ransom, of Lansdowne, a two-year volunteer with the SCS Aging at Home program.

PEG DEGRASSA — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Christine Helmandollar, director of Senior Community Services’ Aging At Home program, addresses attendees at Nov. 2’s Aging At Home fifth anniversary celebration.