A program for adult foster care

Mark C. Miller, MSW, is Social Worker, Veterans Administration Hospital, Danville, Illinois. This ar ticle describes Medical Research Information System Project 572601, sponsored by the Veterans Administration. RECRUITING SPONSORS The terms "foster care," "family sponsors as a group are kindly, reli care," and "personal care" have been gious, and, more often than not, fe variously used to describe service demale.1 However, sponsors in the Com livery systems in which individuals munity Care Program are, in general, supervised by an authorizing agency either married couples (who usually provide personal supervision and care do not have their children in resi to former patients of adult age who dence) or single women near 60 years live with them in their homes. For of age who are, moreover, economi well over a decade, foster care for cally self-sufficient. Of the 51 foster former mental patients has been part care residences active in the program of the Community Care Program of at the end of 1975, 26 were operated the Veterans Administration (VA) by sponsors with intact marriages. In Hospital in Danville, Illinois. 18 of these marriages, the husband was Administered through the hospital's gainfully employed. Five sponsors had Social Work Service, the Community children under 21 years old who lived Care Program, which is staffed by five with them. Three female sponsors professional workers, recruits and worked outside the home. The attained screens those wishing to operate foster level of education of most sponsors care residences. As of March 1975, 52 was that of high school, of these care-providers, called spon sors, were engaged in operating resi dences. Although the sponsors ranged in age from 23 to 83, the modal age The method by which a person be grouping was 61 to 65 years old, and comes a sponsor in the VA foster care the average age was 59.8. Recruitment program is simple. In an ideal situa efforts are needed to assure continuation, applicants would be thoroughly tion of care, for aging and death are screened and only those with the most realities to be faced in the administraadmirable personal traits and coping tion of the program. Since March skills would be selected. In reality, the 1975, for example, four sponsors who most qualified and desirable sponsors were participating in the program have cannot always be recruited, and spon died. Vacancies in existing foster care sors are chosen from the pool of avail homes were found for those former able applicants. From November 1974 patients living with sponsors. Howuntil the end of October 1975, every ever, former patients living in the one wbo completed the program's ap home of one sponsor had to be replication process was accepted. The turned to the hospital after her death. staff of the program strongly suspects In addition, four sponsors left the prothat in operation a preselection process gram for personal reasons in the period is carned out by the aPPU<=ants them fromNovember 1,1974, to October 31, su The Community Care Program .n.r t,, , A ~ has a record of numerous applications 1975. The programs staff is therefore , , . . * , ^ , sent out to prospective sponsors but currently recruiting additional sponnever returned by them. sors. Recruitment has taken the form of The application process consists of notices on the hospital's bulletin completion of a simple questionnaire boards, advertisements in local newsby the prospective sponsor.* The ap papers, and letters to active sponsors plicant is to indicate a list of refer in which referrals for new sponsors are enees on the questionnaire, and these requested. The most productive methare contacted by the program's staff, ods of obtaining new sponsors have if the references are favorable (and been referrals by active sponsors and very few are not), the applicant is the word-of-mouth advertising that requested to have his or her home in takes place whenever a foster home is spected by a city building inspector if visibly in operation in the community, it is in Danville or by the hospital's Recruiting new sponsors has not been safety officer if it is not. Once this is easy and is a continual concern of the accomplished, a staff person conducts program's staff. a home visit and assesses the applicant. Miller has indicated that foster care Occasionally, an applicant is requested