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San Francisco Partnership for
Community-based Care & Support
The Partnership learned through its early assessments and
community discussions that housing, transportation, homelessness and long term
care delivery were the four top issues for vulnerable adults and their
caregivers. It was decided that the first three issues were citywide issues beyond
the scope of the partnership’s work, but that they could have an impact on long
term care service delivery. The focus was on the most vulnerable older adults
as defined by low income, lack of informal support, frailty and minority status
by race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Successes:
- After launching a public awareness campaign, the
partnership documented a 24% increase in calls to information phone lines,
and reported more awareness of older adult issues/needs and long term care
systems and resources among older adults, their caregivers and policy
makers.
- The partnership provided Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender
sensitivity training to service providers – including nursing and
assisted living facilities – to encourage more culturally sensitive
options. This allowed LGBT elders to live comfortably in older age
wherever they reside and use services rather than having to return to the
closet when entering assisted living or nursing homes. The LGBT Workgroup
also collaborated with mainstream organizations including the Alzheimer’s
Association and the American Cancer Society to promote more sensitivity in
service delivery.
- In developing an African American Workgroup, the partnership found
that many community members were reluctant to meet in government or official
offices. So meetings were moved to more informal settings such as churches.
The partnership and work group activities resulted in the development of relationships
between formerly feuding agencies and a subsequent goodwill gesture of combining
their holiday parties. They eventually also worked together on rehabilitation
of a recreation center.
Real Life Impact:
The San Francisco Housing Authority operates 23 senior/disabled public
housing buildings that are home to over 2,300 older adults, and yet there
were no social workers to serve them. To respond to this dire situation,
the Partnership -- in collaboration with the S.F. Department of Aging and
Adult Services -- created the Services Connection Pilot Project. Among the
goals are to increase knowledge of and access to services, increase
services coming into the residents and residents going out to services,
and improve quality of life for the residents. There have been lots of
success stories as a result of the Pilot Project. After an elderly
non-English speaking Chinese woman got more comfortable with the team, she
showed one of them her major dental problems. The team member was able to
get her a referral to a dentist. In another instance, the team convinced
the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre to donate 24 tickets for two performances
to a group of isolated residents. One person said, "I loved the play and
would not have had the money to go otherwise."
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