Photo courtesy of Mercy C.A.R.E.S.
Over the next year, the last of the Baby Boomers will turn 60. Unlike their parents, “Boomers” have higher divorce rates, more disrupted family structures, fewer children, and many live far from family members. As a result, an increasing number of low-income elderly Tempe residents will need help to meet their basic and other needs.
Enter the Tempe Community Action Agency Neighbors Helping Neighbors program.
“Neighbors Helping Neighbors helps vulnerable older adults in Tempe by addressing barriers that impact their ability to remain independent at home as they grow older including poverty, food insecurity, chronic health issues and mobility limitations, and isolation or loneliness,” says Megan Wilson, director of development at the Tempe Community Action Agency.
The program, according to Wilson, is based on the national “Village” concept, which trains neighbors to be volunteer aides for older adults who lack support networks so they can remain safely in the home and community they love as they age. It provides resource navigation, home visits, access to nutritious meals and food boxes, AHCCCS and SNAP enrollment assistance, transportation, care for pets, light home and yard upkeep, and social support for a growing population of older adults who lack the finances and safety net to live independently as they age.
“There are no other programs in Tempe that offer free comprehensive in-home services for low-income, aging adults, making Neighbors Helping Neighbors unique and unduplicated in our community,” says Wilson. “In addition, we have found that 80% of participants report the support provided by the program helps them to continue to live independently.”
Understanding the need for enhanced support, Mercy Care recently announced Neighbors Helping Neighbors as a recipient of a $60,000 Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant.
Mercy C.A.R.E.S. stands for Community Action Resources Education and Service and is Mercy Care’s community giving initiative.
“Mercy Care is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all Arizonans. Through Mercy C.A.R.E.S, we partner with organizations that advance health equity and further the vision that everyone, particularly those who are underserved with complex health needs, deserves to live a healthier life, and achieve their full potential,” says Trisha Stuart, Mercy Care director of community relations.
Through grant funding, sponsorships, volunteer efforts, and board participation, Mercy C.A.R.E.S. supports AHCCCS’ Whole Person Care Initiative, which addresses social risk factors to improve health outcomes.
“Each year, grants are awarded to strategic projects, with measurable outcomes, that demonstrate tangible, positive impact to the community and align with one of Mercy Care’s community health focus areas, which are managing chronic conditions, supporting mental health and well-being, addressing housing security, and empowering recovery from substance use,” says Stuart.
According to Wilson, the grant will directly support 150 older adults in Tempe, 30 of whom will receive a Claris Companion Tablet, internet access, and accompanying training by case managers, with the goal to reduce their feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression through connectivity.
Since 2016, the Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment grant program has invested nearly $15 million in local organizations.
