Giving Tuesday Impact Series: Providing essential services to seniors
Heiwa Terrace and H.O.M.E. partner to provide essential services to seniors. H.O.M.E.'s shopping bus takes older adults living at Heiwa Terrace to the grocery store where they can access fresh food, home supplies, and medications.
Maiko was strolling the Glenwood Sunday Market and happily introduced herself to Bruce who was there representing H.O.M.E. at the Food Access Partners' table.
Maiko is the Resident Service Coordinator for Heiwa Terrace, an affordable senior building that recently partnered with us to provide our Shopping Bus service to their residents. She was delighted to tell us how much she appreciated our service.
A necessary service
Maiko is well aware of the needs of low-income seniors in Chicago. She sees it each day with Heiwa Terrace tenants:
"I have seen more and more that children and other family members of our senior residents cannot visit their loved ones regularly to offer help. With less contact with their family members, our residents tend to be more isolated, vulnerable, and inactive.
There is much relief when good necessary services were found for them like H.O.M.E."
Independence is important to older adults, but there are challenges for many seniors who live alone with a limited support system.
A Greater Chicago Food Depository survey found that 72% of older adults interviewed were determined to be at high nutritional risk. Almost a third reported being unable to obtain food because of an illness or physical limitation even though they could afford food, especially when the individual lived alone.
Going the extra mile for seniors
The weight of food is often a problem for older adults who report choosing food items based on its weight. Some reported being unable to carry home heavy items like meat, produce, and milk, and instead bought fewer foods or lighter weight, less nutritious foods.
Unlike other transportation services they might access, our driver goes the extra mile to help riders with their groceries as they get on and off the bus to alleviate this issue.
In fact, Heiwa Terrace suggests that residents plan to use the shopping bus particularly when they need to buy heavy or bulky items.
Maiko values the partnership with H.O.M.E.:
"On behalf of residents at Heiwa Terrace, I deeply thank you for your dedicated services for elders in our community...
We look forward to enriching our relationships between H.O.M.E. and Heiwa Terrace as we work together figuring out how to assist better for our elders in our community."
We can't provide the programs that we do for seniors without your support.
How you can help
We rely on donations from individuals to keep the Shopping Bus running.
This year H.O.M.E. has joined #ILGive to celebrate Giving Tuesday. Will you mark your calendar for November 29, 2016 to help us reach our goal of raising $20,000 to make a big impact for seniors in 2017?
As a bonus, Bruce Otto, our Executive Director, has agreed to wear a zany Cubs-inpired suit and a hipster-styled wig if we meet our goal. Watch the video here.
You can follow us on Facebook for updates, or sign up to be an #ILGive champion for H.O.M.E.!
Or, donate today.
{{cta('4c8965b9-9b2e-4d6c-b09d-185245d2672f')}}
To find out more about H.O.M.E. and to provide support to low-income seniors, please visit our website or like us on Facebook!
This post is part of our series to celebrate Giving Tuesday, which will take place this year on November 29, 2016. The idea behind #GivingTuesday is to kickoff the holiday-giving season, in the same way that Black Friday and Cyber Monday kickoff the holiday-shopping season.
Do you want updates and tips in your inbox every week? Remember to subscribe to Senior Moments from H.O.M.E.