Heartland Alliance is building an array of programs to provide for the elderly

Heartland Alliance’s work is focused on the most vulnerable members of our society, a category that includes too many of our senior citizens. Recognizing that fact, we have begun to plan and build a range of programs to serve the elderly, from housing to mental health services to the supports that allow seniors to remain in their own homes.

"Demographically, the baby boomer generation is getting older, so senior services are becoming increasingly important. And it’s surprising to learn what’s not easily available to certain minority groups of seniors, such as the LGBT population, low-income individuals, immigrants, and refugees," says John Dinauer, the director of Community and Treatment Services at Heartland Alliance. "At Heartland Alliance, we’ve all pulled together to think about what senior services are needed, and what the combined effect of building on our vision can be."

For example, earlier this year Heartland International Health Center teamed up with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine to conduct a survey of seniors in the Albany Park and Rogers Park neighborhoods for a health care needs assessment. The researchers found pockets of poverty and a lack of consistent medical translation and interpreting services for seniors with limited English proficiency.

"We also found a need for more mental health services and oral health services. We added a psychiatrist as part of our team in response, and we’re currently working to secure funding to add more oral health options," says Tony Beltran, acting executive director of Heartland International Health Center.

A Hollywood Home

Heartland International Health Center is also hoping to offer onsite services at a health center at Hollywood House, an apartment building for independent seniors at Hollywood Avenue and Sheridan Road. Providing nearly 200 units of affordable housing, the building was acquired a year ago by Heartland Alliance, which has undertaken an extensive rehab on the facility. "We’ve wanted to provide senior housing for a few years now, and being able to keep Hollywood House affordable was a great opportunity," says Hume An, a project manager for Heartland Alliance’s housing subsidiary.

In the Edgewater neighborhood, Hollywood House also gives Heartland Alliance an opportunity to provide housing and services to an aging LGBT population. Partnering with the Howard Brown Health Center, Heartland Alliance has begun to offer programs that comprehensively address the medical, emotional, and social needs of maturing LGBT people.

The program is similar to the new Geriatric Care Services program, which Heartland Alliance will roll out in a variety of communities in Chicago and the suburbs in 2010. Based on 15 years of experience helping seniors at risk of losing their housing, the program’s caseworkers do an assessment of the needs of participants and sign them up for services through Heartland Alliance or affiliated programs, giving seniors access to everything from food stamps to home care.

"Most seniors today say they want to live independently for as long as possible, and a program like this makes it possible," says Karen Stec, the director of comprehensive services for seniors.

Protecting the Elderly

Watching out for seniors can also mean protecting them from harm. For nearly 30 years, Heartland Alliance has operated Violence Recovery Services, a domestic violence program in McKinley Park. Last year, we began a citywide program that helps seniors who have been the victims of domestic elder abuse, including physical harm, emotional violence, and financial exploitation.

"Domestic violence of any type is isolating. And if someone is elderly, with barriers to mobility and to language in some immigrant communities, it can be difficult to access support," says Nadeja Wesley, associate director for refugee and immigrant community services. The program began with a few dozen clients in 2009, and is slated to grow in the upcoming year.

"Our strength is that we understand how to deal with the trauma, as well as the situation with the family. We know how to develop a safety plan if needed and work with the courts," Wesley says. "Like all our services for seniors, this program is built on Heartland Alliance’s experience and philosophy of care."