SUPPORTING OLDER ADULTS THROUGH RESOURCES INC

There are few organizations in Frederick County that are providing support to seniors, it is not hard to locate those that help children and the youth, however, some of the most vulnerable among us are the elderly. They are living on a fixed income and often make decisions about the amount of food to purchase or the medication they need.
There is not one organization that can meet the demand as both the county and the state have long waiting lists for services. There are limited resources and it is important to note that many pass away while waiting for much needed support. Many of our applicants earn between $900 and $1100 per month and try very hard to make that work, but when a crisis occurs and perhaps a medical condition that becomes costly they are at a loss on how to manage. Bureaucracy and red tape can be a barrier to services for the seniors and SOAR does not have that level of red tape, we are able to step in quickly and help assess and pay for services. We strive to not take a Band-Aid approach and look at the long term needs to be able to help them sustain themselves. We do not duplicate services that currently are offered by other providers; again this is not hard because so few are available. We partner with local organizations, service industries and others to help us meet the needs of our applicants. Our partners allow us to stretch our resources when they discount services needed or even provide them gratis.

SOAR follows up with all applicants to ensure the request is handled efficiently and appropriately. We also work toward understand the full situation of the individual to be able to best assist for long term solutions. This may entail moving someone to a more affordable housing situation, this may be that we establish their food delivery to help offset costs associated with purchasing food, we may provide home modifications that allow them to live safely and more independently, we assist with car repairs to help a senior be able to retain their independence in getting to their appointments as needed.
We have requests from nurses, social workers, physicians, therapists, the Senior Services Division (formerly Department of Aging), Frederick Health (formerly Frederick Memorial hospital), Frederick Hospice, Frederick Department of Social Services, Frederick County Health Department, Frederick Cancer Institute, Frederick Dental clinic, caregivers, family members, and seniors themselves. Any one that sees a senior in our community has access to apply for assistance on their behalf via a mail in application or our website. We have made the process simple and efficient to be able to achieve the greatest results.

We have a strong board committed to making a difference in the lives of the frail and vulnerable elderly.

We have strong partnerships within our community to access the needed resources in providing for our seniors. We both pay for services and we locate providers to do services gratis. We utilize volunteers wherever we can to maximize our impact.

We have a growing number of people interested in supporting us in achieving our goals.

We will be writing grants, providing community presentations for increased awareness, and continuing to champion the needs of our senior population.

SOAR has been providing services in Frederick County since March 1, 2015. In that timeframe we have touched over 1200 seniors with over $300,000.00 in supportive services. SOAR does not limit what we assist with, we strive to ensure that our seniors receive the services and support necessary to meet their basic needs. We have provided medical equipment to assist in aging safely, short term in home care services, transportation assistance, we have re-housed nine homeless seniors to date, and we pay for medications, utilities, doctor appointments, dentures, hearing aids, and we deliver monthly groceries in partnership with a local church all over Frederick County. We deliver holiday meals to homebound seniors; our first year we served 25, in 2019 we served 120 seniors. There are too many services to list individually here. We assist seniors in Frederick County, aged 65 and above whose income is less than $2100 per month for an individual and $3000 per month for a couple.

This is the breakdown of services we have provided through October 2018. We have more than doubled in services provided in 2019 and are still working on final numbers for 2019.
March 2015 - October 2018
Medical Equip. $46,269.79 Household Needs $38,174.22 Medical Bills $30,764.27 Utilities $23,700.00 Transportation $14,642.09 Housing $25,514.93
In Home Care $19,273.28 Medications $18,395.89 Food $15,844.14 Storage $7,095.36 Miscellaneous $8,177.38 Personal Care $3,862.12