Community Care: Aging in place with dignity

FORT BRAGG » Community Care, a private, non-profit, home and community-based agency serving Lake and Mendocino counties, has been supporting seniors with disabilities or illnesses for over 30 years, helping themto remain in their homes and independent in the community.

The Multipurpose Senior Services Program, under the fiscal umbrella of Community Care, receives funding from theU.S. Centers forMedicare& Medicaid Services — part of the Department of Health and Human Services — that is redistributed to 38 county sites in California which in turn provides themoney to county government offices and private agencies.

In California, MSSP serves over 10,000 senior adults who are 65 years of age or older; Medi- Cal qualified with no share of cost; have a diagnosis of being at risk of having a skilled nursing facility placement; and are case manageable.

The three offices throughout Lake and Mendocino — Ukiah, Fort Bragg and Lower Lake — are staffed by social workers, nurses and care aides whose job it is to reach out to clients and provide them with what is needed for them to remain at home, to age in place with dignity.

“If they are qualified to receive in-home service, a nurse or social worker might advocate for them to receive more hours, to take care of their needs,” says Program Director Corinne Jones.

They provide supplies for clients to maintain a good quality of life and items can include those that are not reimbursable under Medicaid such as wood for home heating, microwaves, air purifiers, nutritional supplements and incontinence supplies.

Some people need personal connection—someone to come by to talk and see how they are doing or respite for a family member’s caregiver.

An initial in-home assessment can determine areas of concern: Is there a fall hazard? Is increased