Partnerships in change
These days a new sense of community is evident among service providers in the field of aging and caregiving. In our region, three separate and unique partnerships are allowing us to improve our work and make life better for the members of our communities.
These partnerships - the Capital Region Caregiver Coalition, the NorthEastern New York Caregiver Consortium, and the Schenectady County Long Term Care Consortium—each serve a slightly different purpose, but all three are helping small not-for-profits manage better in a complex service-delivery environment so that the confusion and challenges for the end user of the service are lessened, cost efficiencies maximized, and money is saved for the state, the counties and the individuals.
The Capital Region Caregiver Coalition is a new addition to the local partnerships. While it started in 2007, it has quickly built up steam and got many member agencies already on board. It is ably supported by Rensselaer County, which facilitates the effort. The coalition focuses its energy and attention on building community awareness and providing access to educational materials for family members caring for their loved ones. Its first event, to take place on Saturday, April 26, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be a huge resource fair called “Resources You Can Use When a Senior Relies on You.” It will be held at Hudson Valley Community College’s Bulmer Communications Center, in Troy, and will include workshops and educational sessions on such topics as driving safety, housing, insurance, legal issues, care management, and dementia. The program is free, with lunch included, but registration is required. To register, call (518) 434-2160. Community members with questions should call (518) 270-2768. To learn more about the coalition, email hleddick@rensco.com. The coalition plans to host two events a year, one in the spring and one in the fall.
The Northeastern New York Caregiver Consortium was developed as a result of a Robert Wood Johnson grant to pool the resources of like-minded faith organizations serving a common population. This consortium provides an array of caregiving services and support to caregivers in our local communities. It does this by creating a strong network of caregiving agencies that are qualified and prepared to meet the growing need for home-based support. The consortium is in its second year and already has had several successes, such as working in partnership with other funders to host conferences targeted at best-service practices and volunteer recruitment specialists, establishing a website, hosting a series of radio shows, developing volunteer recruitment materials, participating in securing a regional grant for community awareness, and drawing new resources to the area. You are invited to view their members’ websites and contact any one of them for more information. Go to http://www.nenycaregivers.org/index.html to identify these sites.
The Schenectady County Long Term Care Consortium was formed to promote the healthy aging of Schenectady County residents by ensuring that the necessary services and supports are in place which enable seniors to fully engage with life. Its focus is to disseminate information to educate the community about seniors and their needs, about available resources, and about how to access these resources and to develop initiatives to respond to the needs of seniors and their caregivers. To receive more information, contact Shelly Glock, Coordinator, at shelly.glock@schenectadycounty.com or (518) 386-2810, extension 8. The Consortium has released a rich source of community data in a document called “Building Partnerships for an Aging Community: 2006-2008 Strategic Plan for the Schenectady County Long Term Care Consortium.” (It can be found online at http://www.schenectadycounty.com/FullStory.aspx?m=386&amid=1103.)
