Program Overviews
Information & Referral
“A daughter calling from Minneapolis says, “My father lives in the Fairview Apartments in Holdingford and I’m concerned that he doesn’t eat properly, what can I do”. We connect the daughter with the nearby home-delivered meal service and then follow-up a few weeks later to be sure she got the service started for dad. Then we also offer to check on him regularly. This is a typical situation where we provide information and referrals. Other calls we get are for legal assistance or tax help, help with insurance questions, or information about housing options.
Group Education & Training
With our emphasis on Healthy Aging, we provide a variety of health promotion seminars and caregiver seminars to help people be better prepared for some of the challenges of aging. They include “Living Well with Chronic Conditions”, “Matter of Balance” fall prevention seminar and the “Powerful Tools for Caregivers” workshops. In addition to these “evidence-based” programs we also provide dementia education and health talks at our monthly lunch program to help people prepare to age healthy.
Service to Individuals
“Helping Hands Outreach has saved my life!” is one comment from a woman in her 80’s who had lost hope of being able to stay in her life-long home. Providing a “safety net” of services to individuals in their homes is an important service we provide. We have over 100 volunteers who are trained and eager to help with rides to medical appointments or for groceries, providing homemaking or chores for people in their homes, simple home repairs and modifications, help with insurance questions or other paperwork, friendly visiting and companionship particularly for those living alone, a phone network to keep people connected and facilitate “wellness checks”, support and respite for caregivers, and other services that help older adults and adults with disabilities maintain a healthy quality of life.
Social & Recreational Experiences
What may have been thought of as just “having fun” has now been shown to be vital to healthy aging. Continuing to maintain positive relationships and being connected and contributing to the community as one ages contributes directly to the health and the quality of their lives. We provide activities every week that bring older adults and adults with disabilities together to be with friends. Our activities include a weekly lunch, our monthly Lunch and Learn program, outings to concerts and local events.
All of our services work together to help create a healthy community where older adults and adults with disabilities want to live and be a vital part of the community.
Health & Wellness
For over a decade we have offered our health and wellness opportunities. Studies have shown that making healthy choices as we age will help us avoid illness and injury as well as enhance the quality of our lives. Our Health & Wellness Coordinator is committed to helping people grow in all the dimensions of wellness. She along volunteers teach the “Living Well with Chronic Conditions” classes.We also provide the “Matter of Balance” class series to help participants learn about and be better prepared to avoid falls.
Our Tai Jai Quan Exercise Program offers weekly instruction for older adults. Tai Jai is designed to energize and support proper balance.
Classes for all of the above “evidence-based” classes are scheduled at regular intervals throughout the year.
We also provide support for caregivers – those who are caring for a loved one. We have two Caregiver Consultants on staff who connect with caregivers to provide counseling and support, either one-on-one or in groups. Our caregiver support program is for anyone who provides care to someone in need.
Adults With Disabilities
We are fortunate to have David Trettel as our Volunteer Outreach Worker for adults with disabilities. David connects with adults who have a challenge, or their families, and helps them to access what they need to live independently at home. If you have a disability or have a family member with a disability and live in our service area, David would like to help you.
We are always looking for volunteers to help. If you are currently a volunteer, or if you have thought about becoming a volunteer, please consider working with adults with disabilities. It would be much appreciated!
We have a number of adults with disabilities who have turned to us for support. We are providing some transportation support and respite for their caregivers. We also need to hear from people who have a family member with a disability, or have experience working with people with disabilities who are willing to help us determine what needs we may be able to serve well.
