ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

Mi CASA Es Su CASA: OUTREACH PROGRAM REACHES THOUSANDS OF ELDERLY AND HOMEBOUND IN VARIETY OF WAYS
 

HUNTSVILLE, AUG. 27---Name just about anything from A to Z associated with enhancing the quality of life of the elderly and homebound and, chances are, CASA does it.

CASA, an acronym for Care Assurance System for Aging and Homebound, assists elderly and homebound people in Huntsville and surrounding areas with daily activities of living so they can continue living in their homes and avoid institutionalization.

The type of services CASA provides varies from person to person, says Anne Anderson, executive director.

"In some cases, we do minor home repairs such as painting and replacing faulty lights," Anderson says. "On the other hand, some clients may require grab-bars and handrails to remain safe and maintain a reasonable degree of independence – our work varies from place to place."

In some cases, help may involve little more than daily or weekly "assurance" telephone calls or visits by volunteers to assess the client’s needs.

"One of the things we’ve become very much aware of is that many elderly suffer from being alone," Anderson says. " Working with the Cheers program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, we take student nurses along with us during our visits to assess our clients’ health and personal safety around the home."

Another major aim of CASA is to help supplement clients’ living costs so they will be better prepared to buy prescription medications they need.

"Many people think once you get on Medicare, everything is paid for," Anderson says, "but that’s not true. You may need eye exams, dentures and other medical supplies and these may not be covered."

One of the ways CASA tries to free up these resources is through its garden project, managed by Master Gardener Jim Call.

Produce from the garden, which generates almost 12,000 pounds of vegetables annually, is provided to more than 3,000 elderly and homebound in Huntsville and surrounding areas. This amounts to about 4 pounds of produce per client annually.

Under Call’s management, the CASA garden has evolved into one of the most popular volunteer programs in the Huntsville area. More than 1,000 volunteers are involved in the garden, serving in a variety of ways. While some undertake the tasks of weeding, pruning and harvesting vegetables, others are responsible for delivering produce to elderly in high-rise apartments and other facilities.

This volunteer effort, involving residents from all walks of life, is one of the facets of the program from which Anderson derives the most inspiration.

"Some volunteers bring their whole families out to work in the garden and really get into it," Anderson says. "You have young children with a wheel barrel, a divorced father with his daughter – it’s just a great bonding opportunity; everybody is so friendly.

"It’s a win/win situation for all involved – the clients and volunteers," Anderson says. "The volunteers really feel like they’re doing something and contributing to the community." As far as the clients are concerned, it’s not the fresh vegetables as much as the joy they get from knowing someone cares, Anderson says.

"We get the most wonderful love letters and thank you notes from some of our clients, such as ‘you made my day’ and ‘how did you know we would love this so much?’

We’re providing socialization and companionship for people at a time in their lives when they really need it."

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SOURCE: JIM LANGCUSTER, Extension communication specialist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System (334) 844-5686.