With 40 volunteers serving about 40 clients, HELP has grown and improved from its beginnings. Volunteers are predominantly interns and Tennessee Tech students who join HELP through word of mouth and as a response to publicity. Clients learn about the program from home health care nurses, other clients, publicity and doctors. After all, there is really no place like your own home. HELP-allows our clients to stay at home with a little assistance.
Elderly people living in rural public housing also often have limited access to supportive services.
Elderly Women in Minnesota. ARDC created a program, Developing Assisted Living Services in Public Housing, for services in a 79-unit public housing building. This program allows seniors to safely stay in their public housing homes rather than move to care facilities. Working with the Housing and Rehabilitation Authority, county human services staff and home care providers, ARDC surveyed tenant needs, determined rates for service packages and helped select assisted living service providers. Due to its success, the program in this first building became the model for others.