Article in Bloomington Noon Rotary May 9, 2016 Newsletter
Contributed by: Stephen Bariteau
Today we welcomed Dawn Lund of Senior Community Services to our club. She talked with us about the ongoing and growing need for aging services in Minnesota and across the country. This need is due to the exponential growth in the senior component of our population.
Senior Community Services is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop, coordinate and provide services that help meet the needs of older adults and support their caregivers. The organization’s vision is to mobilize the community to reimagine aging. A highlight of their programs is listed below.
> CareNextion.org can help you easily communicate with family members and caregivers to coordinate care, share schedules and access valuable resources to support your loved one.
> Household & Outside Maintenance for Elderly (HOME): Affordable indoor and outdoor home maintenance and chore services for residents 60+ living in Suburban Hennepin County.
> Senior Centers: Discover a variety of intellectual, social and physical programs to stay active and healthy in your community.
> Senior Outreach & Caregiver Services: Our experienced licensed social workers will work with you to identify the best combination of affordable community resources to meet your specific needs.
> Senior Partners Care: Statewide program bridging the financial gap between medical expenses and Medicare coverage.
> Medicare Health Insurance Counseling: You have questions; we have answers. Profes-sional counselors can answer your questions and help you navigate your choices in choosing appropriate Medicare
coverage.
It is interesting to note the importance of these services as our habits of multi-generational families living together has decreased
significantly from 70% of households living together in 1858 to approximately 16% today. Also of note, approximately 25% of Minnesota’s population is projected to be 75 years of age and older by 2030. This increase in need for services will
stress the current system.
Club members asked several questions about how best to address the issues. Dawn recommended a broad community discussion occur.
