5/3/2011 – Marin Independent Journal
At the Marin Center for Independent Living in San Rafael, an expanded registry will put elderly disabled residents in touch with carefully screened, moderately priced caregivers.
Programs at LifeLong Medical Care in Novato and Senior Access in Terra Linda will provide day-care services and therapies for low-income elderly adults with dementia and other debilitating conditions — and allow rare respites for family members who otherwise are round-the-clock caregivers.
And at Whistlestop Wheels in San Rafael, a host of programs that cater to the elderly will provide Marin seniors a place to socialize, a variety of things to do and hot meals to enjoy.
The four nonprofit agencies and 13 others serving senior citizens got a big helping hand from the Marin Community Foundation on Tuesday as it announced $1 million in grants aimed at boosting the county’s most vulnerable population — its poor, older adults.
Officials said the grants were made under the foundation’s “strategic focus on successful aging,” and are intended to provide the elderly with food, employment, social, educational and therapeutic services, allowing them to remain in the community while giving their family caregivers a rest as well.
The largest grants, $200,000 each, went to West Marin Senior Services and Whistlestop Wheels, where Marin’s growing senior population benefits from an array of services.