Receive IN-PERSON help on April 2nd, 2022 At the Cape Intercultural Center building From 2 pm to 6 pm
Where:38 MA-28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673
Additional parking at Old Kings Coffeehouse

Funds can be used for renting deposits for the first and last month.

WHAT TO BRING:

•ID for the Head of Household
•Proof of late rent due or letter of eviction
•Proof of income•Lease or a tenancy agreement
•A W9 tax form for the landlord

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The Covid-19 pandemic brought to the surface a reality social gerontologists and other professionals have been announcing and planning for decades. I remember attending the first Aging and Disability Rights Forum hosted by Barnstable County Dept. of Health and Human Services in 2012 under the leadership of Beth Albert (prior to becoming the Dept of Human Services). We were already riding on a swell of the “Silver Tsunami” wave when the first baby boomers started turning 65 at the rate of 10000 a day across the country. We knew Medicare and Social Security would not be sustainable without change. We were already exploring ways to reduce healthcare utilization and costs, and to leverage community based social services and supports in partnership with healthcare providers. We started thinking of new models of care that would improve outcomes and quality of life for individuals. The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) became a focus and we spent years learning through our local community health network, convening panels to understand how we could impact the health outcomes in the community by addressing to social needs of patients in collaboration with their providers.

Those of us who work in the field of aging, whether in public service, philanthropy, or the private sector, are aware of the challenges we face in helping to meet the needs of and support older Americans in our midst. We are looking at an aging population that will not retire, needs to downsize, needs to work, and needs support to do these things. That will not happen in the doctor’s office or the hospital. What can happen in the doctor’s office is a referral to a health plan benefit provider that is administered by a forward-thinking Aging Service Access Provider or Area Agency on Aging in collaboration with other community-based social service providers.

The Cape’s aging population, at highest risk for death from the virus, appeared to come out of the woodwork on Cape Cod, presenting with the most essential levels of need, from access to a meal, to getting to a doctor. And then, there were the homebound, the folks battling mobility issues, cognitive loss and their caregivers… We found ourselves working around the clock to secure resources, collaborate with other entities not previously considered systemic partners in service delivery, to coordinate administration of vaccines. We saw how senior centers, for example, can be a valuable resource to healthcare providers in reaching and serving our elder, caregiver and disabled population. There is much work to be done but we are in a good place in history to tackle these issues and continue to work together to find solutions that can help sustain us all in the long run - the patients, providers, underwriters, legislators, regulators, funders and aging services professionals, we are all in it together. To a bright future!