- Pierson Grant Public Relations provides public relations services for senior living, assisted living and elder care facilities. Below is a press release from one of our clients, MorseLife Health Systems.
The National Council on Aging celebrates National Senior Center Month in September highlighting how such venues improve the lives of older adults. With the help of AmeriCorps members like Delray Beach resident Elinor Goldman, MorseLife Health Systems offers seniors with chronic care needs social engagement through Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) which MorseLife provides at PACE centers throughout Palm Beach County.
Prior to moving to Florida in 2011, Goldman served as the director of the RSVP program in Atlantic County, New Jersey where she oversaw 500 senior volunteers. Today, Elinor volunteers four days a week as a member of the AmeriCorps program.
Morselife is the exclusive PACE provider in Palm Beach County offering seniors 55 plus comprehensive community-based healthcare solutions that honor their independence and individuality by meeting their medical and social wellness needs with compassion, dignity, and respect. It currently has four Palm Beach PACE locations: two on the MorseLife Campus in West Palm Beach, PACE Delray and PACE Greenacres.
In addition to conducting bingo and helping the program participants prepare for lunch and other activities at a PACE Center, Goldman provides companionship to seniors in their homes.
“One of the people I visit is interested in the theater and I kept all my Playbills from New York which I am sharing with her,” Goldman said. “She’s giving me recipes and teaching me how to knit.”
MorseLife Health System and AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, recruit and train year-round Palm Beach County residents 55 years and older to provide support for homebound older adults. The volunteers encourage independence and alleviate feelings of isolation while providing respite for caregivers.
“I saw an ad in the paper for volunteers and I called them up,” Goldman said. “I think it is wonderful for the volunteers and the people we serve. Everyone is so appreciative of everything you do and, in turn, that makes you feel good.”
AmeriCorps members, who receive a monthly stipend of $200 a month, are expected to volunteer eight to ten hours of service each week and must have a high school diploma, GED or attestation. Qualifying members will receive a living allowance and may be eligible for a $1,700 education award for each year of service.
Goldman says she hopes to use her tuition to take classes next summer in Atlantic City and stay in a dorm right on the beach.
MorseLife and AmeriCorps are now actively recruiting new AmeriCorps members who can offer companionship, provide transportation to and from doctors’ appointments, assist with shopping and errands, and help with light cooking. Members will not be asked to assist with personal care, wheelchair transferring or lifting, heavy housework or administering medication. Members also must be U.S. citizens or have resident alien status, a driver’s license, a reliable and air-conditioned vehicle, automobile insurance and two written references.
For those interested in helping older adults age with grace and dignity, please contact Kathryn Powell at (561) 817-7761, or kpowell@morselife.org.
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