Friendship Centers

Supportive aging: case management coordinates the delivery of in-home services to clients in need, promoting self-sufficiency amongst those most at risk of nursing home placement.referrals for sfc and requests for assistance must first go through the elder helpline located within the area agency of southwest Florida (aaa) to be telephone screened and assigned a priority score based on level of need. The case manager will create a care plan based on the needs identified during the in-home assessment. Sfc contracts with approximately 30 local home-health agencies and a food vendor to provide the in-home care including homemaker, personal care, respite, home delivered meals/adult day care (both provided directly by sfc), nursing, medical equipment/supplies, chores, emergency response systems, transportation, home modification and possibly others.services are indefinite until a client can no longer remain safe in their home. Case managers review client needs and care plans as needed, but at least every six months. Case management is provided by Senior Friendship Centers in desoto, lee and sarasota counties. Adult day and caregiving services: Senior Friendship Centers licensed adult day service center, the living room, provides a personal connection, where frail elders and persons living with dementia and alzheimer's disease are seen as more than their challenges. The professionally trained staff gets to know each person to serve their unique needs and help them feel comfortable in their surroundings. This staff of professionals help the family caregiver begin to see their loved one through a fresh lens, rediscovering joy and promise during some of life's toughest challenges.with a staffing ratio of 1:6, each participant is assured personal attention throughout the day. The living room offers stimulating activities such as fun and therapeutic games, music, social engagement, celebrations, discussions, brain fitness, art/pet therapy and more. Recognizing that family caregivers often compromise their own physical and mental health to care for a loved one, Senior Friendship Centers offers support, education, and connection through caregiver resource Centers. Family caregivers find peace of mind and improved health through respite, counseling, discussion with other caregivers in support groups, and invaluable tools to better care for themselves, helping them with this important role. The organization's adult day Centers are in sarasota and venice. Friendship at home is a multi-faceted safety net program addressing social, financial, and food crises. For social crises, volunteers support seniors who may be home-bound or isolated. Trained volunteers are matched with a Senior for telephone reassurance calls or friendly visits. For financial crises, supportive interventions and resources are provided along with guidance to other benefits and savings to improve financial stability. Assistance might be for car repairs, utility bills or rent/mortgage payments.qualified clients must meet income guidelines. When food is running low, and social security checks don't last the full month, emergency food and supply bags are assembled and distributed in partnership with civic groups, faith community, and other nonprofits. Friendship at home is offered in charlotte, lee and sarasota counties.

Senior Centers: two hub Senior Centers located in sarasota and venice serve the community in a myriad of ways. They are entry points for supportive services like pro bono legal assistance and counsel for those who believe they may have been scammed. It is home to community dining sites, and vibrant activity spaces for lifelong learning, exercise, and wellness programming.each month, thousands of seniors enter the doors to be greeted by volunteers, and to give of their time as volunteers by teaching a class, playing live music in a band, or providing administrative support to the organization. As the generations change, new offerings bring in younger seniors to serve and be served. From indoor pickleball to line dancing lessons to interesting lecture series and discussion groups, there is an evolving sense about the space and the programs of Senior Friendship Centers.

Nutrition: the older americans action (oaa) nutrition program provides nutritious meals to low-income and food insecure seniors age 60+ allowing them to live independently while improving mental and physical health and wellbeing. Studies show that good nutrition not only reduces hunger and food insecurity but it prevents disease, promotes socialization, and increases the likelihood for this population to safely age, in place making household budgets stretch further and saving taxpayer dollars.congregate meals are provided to various neighborhood and community dining sites in all four counties served by Senior Friendship Centers: charlotte, desoto, lee, and sarasota counties. Once the individual becomes a regular participant, a nutrition coordinator conducts an assessment to identify their nutrition status and potential risk. The dining sites are all about connections where older adults connect to other supportive services such as transportation, physical activity programs, health screenings, volunteerism, and meaningful social contact. Home delivered meals provide 5 or 7 meals each week, depending upon the need. Referrals to the program come from many sources including physicians, faith leaders, social workers, home health agencies, friends and family. The oaa nutrition program began at Senior Friendship Centers in 1973, making it one of the longest running programs in sfc's network of services. In addition to regular meals served in social dining sites or delivered to homes, the program provides information and assistance with hurricane and disaster preparedness, provision of shelf stable/emergency meals, and support in accessing other resources. Participants in both congregate and those receiving a meal at home have the benefit of monthly nutrition education and a registered dietician (rd) offers nutrition counseling. Menus are prepared on a six-month rotation, are planned by rd and must meet usda dietary guidelines for older adults. Participants have a voice in menu planning through nutrition advisory meetings held twice a year at each dining site. The meals served by sfc are life sustaining for many of these older adults who would otherwise go without vital nourishment, experience a decline in physical and emotional wellbeing, and potentially be unable to remain in their own home.