Minnetonka, Minn. – Senior Community Services, for 70 years a major nonprofit serving the needs of vulnerable, low-income older adults in Minnesota, is the recipient of a major grant from Twin-Cities-based Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz Life). The funds will help enhance capacity to reach more seniors and their families with services at a critical time.

“Covid has made a bad situation worse for vulnerable seniors,” said Senior Community Services CEO Deb Taylor. “The Allianz Life grant will have a long-lasting and profound impact on our mission to develop, coordinate and provide enhanced services that better address the growing needs of seniors and their caregivers, especially during this challenging time.”  

Specifically, the grant will be utilized in the following ways:

CareNextion.org:  Since the start of the pandemic, utilization of the free CareNextion.org website, to organize care and share tasks for an older loved one, has risen from 9,000 to 16,335 registered caregivers. Allianz Life will fund enhancements to the website to increase its capacity to 100,000 users, and develop an easy-to-use mobile app accessible from any device. “More than 90 percent of long-term-care for Minnesota seniors is provided by family members, higher than the national average,” Taylor said, “CareNextion is a great tool to make life better. Families have really discovered it during the pandemic.”

A Safe and New Virtual Community:  Unprecedented levels of loneliness and isolation have swept through communities during the Covid pandemic, especially affecting seniors, the most vulnerable to the virus. Allianz Life funding will support the new Technology Service Program to safely connect seniors digitally and virtually in a socially engaging, yet risk-free, environment. Technicians assist seniors in their homes or via phone or teleconferencing on ways to utilize their devices to connect with friends and loved ones. Training and a new planned website will increase seniors’ comfort level with the digital world, and enhance their ability and desire to stay in touch with their community.

Through virtual programming, isolated seniors will remotely participate in activities through their local senior centers. “This will extend opportunities to break through the isolation that is so harmful to mental and physical well-being. Seniors will be able to virtually see and visit with friends, listen to programs, and even participate in a card game,” Taylor explained.  The Technology Assistance Pilot is part of the HOME program which offers seniors help with a variety of home maintenance tasks from raking and snow shoveling to minor repairs and safety inspections.

Comprehensive Marketing Plan: Allianz Life will develop a strategic marketing plan for the entire portfolio of services that serve 30,000 Minnesotans annually. “We’ll be able to extend our reach, increase awareness and educate older adults and caregivers, often desperate for help and support. Caregiving can be exhausting for loved ones, so support is essential.” Taylor added.

The Growing Need

As Minnesota’s senior population grows, one truth remains; most seniors want to remain in their own home and community. Yet challenges exist.

Forty-five percent of older Minnesotans are economically vulnerable, and upkeep on their home often is financially-draining.

One survey found low-income seniors often spend 50 percent or more of their limited income on housing and home maintenance.

“We help by offering low-cost or free services that range from yard maintenance to minor repairs and safety assessments, caregiver counseling, and negotiating down burdensome medical debt,” Taylor explained.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Senior Community Services is helping older adults remain safe, secure, and healthy in their own homes. The COVID challenge has enabled staff to nimbly adjust care and reshape services to continue serving thousands of older adults. With financial support from Allianz Life, Senior Community Services is better equipped to address growing needs in challenging times.

“We’re grateful to Allianz Life, and the wider community, for supporting the needs of older adults in our families and neighborhoods, as we all age well, together,” Taylor said.