MIFA History II continued Working With and For Older Americans MIFA from its beginning has worked to meet the special needs of older Americans, the fastest growing segment of our population and often the most neglected. MIFA's two senior centers, both opened in 1978, one now on Macon and the other downtown, provide companionship, recreation, hot noon meals and educational opportunities to more than 150 seniors each day. Project HOPE (Housing Opportunities for the Elderly) offered information, counseling and procedural assistance for the confusing housing options for seniors. In 1978 MIFA brought together managers of senior housing facilities to form HOME (Housing Owners and managers for the Elderly) to find ways of improving services. MIFA has also provided counseling in a HUD-funded home ownership program for the elderly. Share-A-Home offered a measure of independence to elderly homeowners by matching them with a younger housemate. The Mid South Senior, a free monthly large-print newspaper with a circulation close to 30,000, operates independently now as Best Times. Established in Memphis in 1985, the Senior Companion Program is a part of a national program funded through the federal service agency, Corporation for National Service. In 1998, 101 low-income, active seniors were paired with frail elderly low-income persons in Memphis and the Delta District. “Companions” earn a tax-free stipend of $2.55 per hour for 20 hours per week to provide homebound seniors with the care needed to assist them in remaining independent and in their own homes. A second CNS program, RSVP, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, provided more than 700 volunteers to other non-profit agencies. Volunteers aged 55 and older donated 140,000 hours in 1997 while enjoying the opportunity to share the skills and talents they have developed. Lunch and Learn combines a lunchtime experience with stimulating classes in a relaxed atmosphere. Another program, Caregivers, provides training, resources, referrals and encouragement to local caregivers with a well-attended annual workshop. Grandma, Please! links trained volunteer “grandparents” by phone with latchkey children from 2-5:45 weekdays, providing many seniors with the opportunity to volunteer even if homebound or disabled. The children find comfort from these trained, caring seniors. MIFA's newest outreach program for the elderly is the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. In 1997, 46 certified Volunteer Ombudsmen Representatives provided nursing home residents with an effective voice for protecting their rights, improving their care and resolving their concerns, according to program coordinator Sandy Smegelsky. She points out that when she first started the program in 1996, “I was a one person program responsible for more than 100 facilities in four counties.” A recent Durham Foundation grant funds a nurse investigator, a much-needed addition to this growing program. Next: Helping People Help Themselves