Sunset Neighborhood program keeps options open for area seniors

New service helps bring recommended services to the doorstep of elderly

By Lou Sorendo
In Good Health – Jan. 2007

Welcome to the neighborhood.
That’s the message being sent by Rev. Carol Jubenville, executive director and pastor at The Community at Sunset Wood in New Hartford.

A new spinoff organization, Sunset Neighborhood, is structured to connect community senior citizens with their neighbors as well as a host of support services.

Sunset Neighborhood is a referral and advocacy service for seniors living in the village and town of New Hartford. The program is designed for those who choose to "age in place" in their own homes.

“We want to provide a quality of life filled with respect and dignity, no matter the age,” Jubenville said.

She has served as associate pastor at New Hartford United Methodist Church for the past six years. Jubenville has been executive director at Sunset Wood for 11 years.

Jubenville noted that over the past several decades, many homeowners have “stayed on their back decks and kept to themselves.”

This detachment from the community is what Sunset Neighborhood wants to break down, said Jubenville, who is originally from Marcy and now resides in Clinton.

“We want to get everyone of their front porches again,” she said.

Sunset Neighborhood is a not-for-profit organization overseen by a volunteer board of directors. It is affiliated with the National Geriatrics Society and the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. The NYAHSA advocates on behalf of the elder care industry, whether it be on a nursing home, assisted living or independent living level.

“We need to know what everyone else is doing and keep up with trends,” she said in regards to the benefits derived from being affiliated with these organizations.

The business acts as a service broker or clearinghouse for information. Brokered services include home maintenance, in-home services, out-of-home services and delivery.

Annual membership provides individuals with their own assigned care manager/specialist.

The care manager is qualified to provide senior advocacy and to find the recommended services needed to make life easier in the home.

NYAHSA President Carl Young, who was part of the planning process for Sunset Neighborhood, noted that the fledgling organization is the only non-profit specializing in offering a broad spectrum of senior care services in New York state.

While agencies such as the county of Oneida Office for the Aging does act as a single point of entry for seniors seeking advice, it does not have a comprehensive program such as what Sunset Neighborhood is offering. Jubenville said some organizations exist which serve according to a well-specified mission statement, but fail to “step out of the box” to find out what else is really needed in the community. In addition, they are Monday through Friday operations. “The weekends are the loneliest times for people. We have to find out what we can do to help them,” Jubenville observed.

Ready to kick off

Sunset Neighborhood is poised to launch in mid-January. A board of directors is already in place, and local product Mark Wood—son of community leaders Jack and the late Treva Wood—is the program director.

Jubenville added that through due diligence, a solid list of vendors is being compiled which features local businesses that are properly insured, certified and licensed.

She hopes that vendors will offer significant discounts as part of the service provider agreement with Sunset Neighborhood.

Sunset Neighborhood does not create programs; rather, it acts as a conduit “to bring organizations together and help the senior population,” Jubenville said.

The uniqueness of the program, she said, is the use of care managers.

A care manager will be assigned to each member, and he or she will examine the needs of the senior citizen in their totality.

“They will help with every need you have,” Jubenville said.

Care managers will either be RNs or social workers with the backgrounds necessary to advocate on behalf of clients.

Not only will care managers find a vendor whose products and services are needed by the client, but they will execute the phone calling as well.

“Automated phone systems can be frustrating, particularly with someone hard of hearing,” Jubenville said.

“The object is to determine what is needed in order to help a client’s quality of life,” she said.

In the beginning stages, Jubenville said about six care managers will handle a clientele of 300 people. Members will receive a minimum of two visits per year from their care manager.

Clients first

Sunset Neighborhood is tailoring services for folks who are non-Medicaid eligible, albeit not exclusively. Jubenville noted that several programs offered through government sources do provide these type of services for those eligible for Medicaid.

However, she noted that there are no cost-effective programs for those who can afford the service. “These people are being discriminated against because they can afford services,” she added.

Jubenville stresses that Sunset Neighborhood will structure a program to best meet the needs of clients, and not a particular vendor.

She said the sheer number of people interested in becoming members will offset any financial losses due to making special accommodations for clients.

The annual membership fee will be $500. Jubenville said after the first 100 chartered members join, the organization will reassess resources to determine what is needed.

The organization will also feature its own Web site at www.sunsetneighborhood.com.

The Web site will provide family members with the ability to communicate with the program.

“We’re hoping this Web site can serve as a means for children of members to ask any questions they want,” she said.

“It’s a whole new concept in aging,” she said, noting that is the slogan for the program.

The program offers services which address some of the reasons why seniors would want to leave home and enter an independent living, assisted living or nursing home environment. These reasons could range from improper diet, inability to maintain one’s home, or not knowing where to turn for help.

“We try to make it best for the member, and not what’s best for society, or physicians, or family members who are out of town,” she noted.

Volunteer spirit

New Hartford High School honor roll students, meanwhile, have the opportunity to work with the program as volunteers. Cindy Curry, a board member, is supervising the program at the high school. Students can become involved in tasks such as reading, yard work, shoveling driveways, demonstrating computer skills or simply enjoying a meal with a senior citizen once a week.

“This program exists not because people need it; but rather, because they deserve it,” she said.

“We all need support systems to make good choices. That’s what membership offers them,” she added.

Help is only a phone call away for members on a 24/7 basis. A live call center will be featured from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Sundays will be added down the road, Jubenville noted.

Sunset Neighborhood, however, does not offer emergency services.

Care management includes duties such as assessment of individual needs, communication with families and post-hospital and rehab planning.

Home maintenance issues that seniors may have can range from carpentry and plumbing to programming of TVs and electronics.

Home maintenance is crucial, she said, particularly when seniors decide to sell their homes and are concerned about commanding a reasonable market value.

In-home recommended services include companion care and monitoring; grooming, dressing and personal hygiene; medication reminders; meal preparation and laundry service.

Out-of-home services include transportation for purposes such as medical appointments, banking, shopping, social activities, entertainment and restaurant delivery.