Reaching Elderly Adults with Community Helps

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The REACH (Reach elderly adults with Community Helps) program was developed in Cabarrus County as an initiative to reach out to the underserved senior adults in the county. In its efforts, Cabarrus County has been diligent in visiting churches, housing areas, lunch plus clubs, etc to tell the senior adults about programs available throughout the County. Through the visitation and follow-up phone calls, many senior adults have found that they or loved ones would be eligible for specific services. When the resources have been relayed to the groups, an average of nearly 50 percent of the adults reached have found they are eligible for at least one program that will save them money on food, medical, or heating costs, personal care, and sometimes even reduce their risk of institutionalization. The participants had a nearly 100 percent satisfaction rate, stating that they or someone they knew would be able to benefit from County and non-profit programs they had never previously known about. More of the County population is being served through the educational efforts of this group.