Wish Book 2018: Avenidas helps elderly residents maintain independence

Dec. 09--Seven months ago, Martha Frye and her daughter Wendy thought they would lose their Palo Alto home of more than 40 years.

Martha, 86, whose only income comes from Social Security checks, had undergone a series of unexpected surgeries on her eyes that squeezed their finances and was suffering from depression; Wendy had lost her job as a caregiver and was having trouble finding work. They had fallen behind on mortgage payments and utility bills and sometimes didn't know how they would pay for their next meal. It got so bad that for roughly two years both of them struggled to get out of bed each morning.

"I didn't know where our next dollar was going to come from for groceries or gas for the car," said Wendy, who is now her mother's caregiver.

This past April, a local hospital told the Fryes about Avenidas Care Partners, an elder care and case management program, one of many run by Avenidas, a Palo Alto nonprofit. The free case management service helped get them back on track and able to stay in their longtime home.

Avenidas offers a variety of low-cost and free services for older residents, including emergency funds of up to $300 to residents living on fixed incomes like the Fryes who suffer financial setbacks. Avenidas' emergency fund, which was created in 2012 with a $10,000 gift from the family of a former client is now nearly depleted and in need of new donors to continue. The agency supports Mid-Peninsula residents age 50 and older. Unforeseen consequences like no longer being able to drive or clean your home or having to pay for a dental procedure out of pocket can be devastating for older, low-income residents who often no longer have spouses or family members to support them.

"Life is becoming so expensive for most people in our area, except for the very wealthy," said Paula Wolfson, Avenidas' manager of social work services. "We're going to have people in the next year or two with a lot of need, whether it be dental care, co-pays (that) tend to be higher than anywhere else in the area. ... The cost of rent, people getting eviction notices, rents being raised, the cost of food -- eyeglasses, hearing aids, dental work are not covered by (Medicare), it's all private pay."

The emergency assistance was a godsend for the Fryes, but they say Avenidas' case management services are what really got them back on track. The nonprofit offers case management services to 50 residents.

About 50 clients benefit from the emergency fund, all of whom receive in-home consultations to find out how well they are eating, how mobile they are, the state of their mental health and their financial situation. These clients receive free home visits from case workers on a regular basis for years, if necessary. Hospitals and physicians also refer low-income, elderly patients to Avenidas, knowing that its caregivers have a more intimate relationship with clients.

"We get contacted by doctors because they can't see the clients in the home, but we can pick up where they hand off," elder care consultant Emily Farber said. "There's often one identifying problem, you know, I need someone to clean my home or I got this medical bill, but the reason for this ongoing case management rather than just a one-time phone call or one-time meeting is because, yes, there's this whole crop of other issues that come about that we work with and we prioritize."

Farber helped the Fryes qualify for a 25 percent utility discount, grocery assistance from CalFresh that amounts to $72 in savings each month on average, and supplemental health insurance from Medi-Cal that saves Martha $300 a month. With Farber's help, they are now renting out rooms to long- and short-term renters for additional income. Martha's eyesight has improved and she is undergoing physical therapy to improve her balance so she can go visit a sister who lives in Minnesota and is unable to travel.

"There is hope now," Wendy said. "The weight of getting better and not having to fall behind on our house payments, that's so major.

"Emily just came in and said, 'We can do this.' Suddenly, there was a list of things to work on, not just our wheels spinning. None of these things would have happened without Emily."

It's not just older residents living on fixed incomes that benefit from Avenidas' case management services.

Kathy Lierle and Terry Galonoy, who live as companions in the Palo Alto home Lierle bought in 1975, have good finances but both in the past year developed complex health issues. Lierle, who is in her 70s, until recently expected to take care of Galonoy, 91, at her home until the end, but now realizes she may not have much time left herself. They both have children, but none who live in the area, and before Avenidas intervened, Galonoy didn't have a living will and Lierle didn't know how his care would be managed if she was out of the picture.

"Literally, it's made our lives possible," Lierle said. "It's helped us stay in our home instead of going to a home. Avenidas is supportive of independent living."

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THE WISH BOOK SERIES

The Wish Book is an annual series of The Mercury News that invites readers to help their neighbors.

WISH

Donations will help Avenidas Care Partners offer emergency funds to low-income Palo Alto seniors to help keep them in their homes and maintain their independence. Goal: $10,000

HOW TO GIVE

Donate at wishbook.mercurynews.com or mail in the coupon.

ONLINE EXTRA

Read other Wish Book stories, view photos and video at wishbook.mercurynews.com.

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