GOALS: The Clothing Assistance Program will provide clothing and shoes for the senior care giver and for any children in their care. All merchandise will be free for seniors who qualify for the program.
Each senior may make requests for the items of clothing that are needed and schedule a time to visit the clothes bank. If the items are not available, gift cards will be given to purchase the needed items at one of the many approved retail merchants. We will work with local merchants to get purchase gift cards at a discount. Any participant who abuses or misuses a gift card will be permanently disqualified from ALL PA.T.C.H. programs.
GOALS: The Consultancy Program will help senior home owners find and apply for every assistance program for which they qualify: homestead exemptions; weatherization;
accommodation for the disabled; general repairs; refinancing; sale of their current home and purchase of better housing, relocation to better rental unit, etc. These programs are available through governmental programs, private/public grants, non-profit programs, and corporate programs.
The search for programs will be conducted by a corp of volunteers who will be responsible for carrying out the search. The Volunteers will also follow-up to insure that each application is approved and the requested services rendered in a timely and professional manner.
Goal: A large contingency of veterans, widows and dependents of veterans do not apply for and therefore do not collect on benefits for which they qualify.
The primary reason for this problem is lack of knowledge due to the complexity of the system and the large variety of programs offered.
There are non-governmental experts who offer their services, at no charge. Many are retired military personnel who had to navigate the system and want to offer their expertise to others. One such individual lives in Meridian, Mississippi.
GOALS: The Social Security Consultancy Program will provide free consultations for seniors seeking or receiving Social Security, in order to optimize the benefits for which they quality.
Professional volunteers, who have expertise in applying for Social Security benefits: help the applicant find free legal representation; cover them on all of the benefits for which they qualify; assist with the gathering of all required documentation; and help complete applications. Also, the volunteers will follow-up to insure that each application is approved and the requested services rendered in a timely and professional manner.
GOALS: It is our intent develop a corp of retired medical personnel to act as a Medical Advocacy Volunteer (MAV) for seniors, for medical and dental appointments.
These MAVs will coordinate the services of each practitioner who is involved in treating the senior in order to ensure that each physician has, with the senior’s approval, a complete medical history and medication list for the patient. P.A.T.C.H will provide this history for each senior, on a thumb drive, attached to a key chain. Free medical alert bracelets will also be provided, when applicable.
Some seniors become ill because their treating physicians do not have a list of all of the seniors medications or a list of the diagnosis from other physicians. Counter indications among medications prescribed by other physician can be deadly.
Before an office visit, the MAV will make sure that the list of medications is up-to-date and uploaded to the thumb drive (to be printed out in the physician’s office). The MAV will help the senior make a list of any new symptoms and perform a thorough, visual exam to determine if there are issues which the senior has not listed (swollen ankles, skin lesions, hair loss, bruises, weight gain/loss, problems with nails, etc.). All of this information will be given to the physician, during the office visit.
Goals: To help seniors find pro-bono legal assistance, when the need arises. Unfortunately Seniors are often targets for identity thieves and unscrupulous businesses.
By providing A free review of contracts prior to execution, many seniors can be spared the heartache of losing homes or savings due to fraudulently written contracts.
There are also other requirements for pro-bono legal assistance: adoption; medical bills; tax disputes, etc. Adoption of children in their care is a frequent necessity for seniors raising grandchildren. An adoption allows the care-giver to have legal authority with schools, courts, and for medical care. Often, without legal custody, the senior’s hands are tied when it comes to decisions concerning the child when legal authority still rests with the parents.
P.A.T.C.H. will also ask the attorney general to send someone to teach classes on the prevalent scams that are targeting seniors. This class will be free and open to ALL seniors, even those who are not currently a participant in a P.A.T.C.H. program
A child who graduates and goes on to college or trade school will have a higher annual wage for the remainder of his/her life than a child who never graduates of high school
The volunteers will not only tutor the child; but also familiarize them with two year degrees which can earn them 2 to 3 times the average wage for Mississippi families: medical coder, metal working, construction worker, brick layer, plumber, etc. It is our desire to help each child recognize their God given talents and help them find a school or program which will help them maximize their skill sets and find and keep gainful employment.
Tutors can teach the child via the internet (see Exhibit A) or in the classroom, with the approval of the school Board. Studies have shown that the majority of young men and women in prison have poor reading skills. They did not learn to read in primary school and never caught up.
Goals: Will provide free consultations for seniors seeking or receiving Medicare and Medicaid, in order to optimize the benefits for which they quality.
Professional volunteers, who have expertise in applying for benefits under both programs will: help the applicant find free legal representation; cover them on all of the benefits for which they qualify; assist with the gathering of all required documentation; and help complete applications. Also, the volunteers will followup to insure that each application is approved and the requested services rendered in a timely and professional manner.
If the applicant does not qualify for Medicaid, the volunteer will educate them on supplementary insurance. If an accountant is required to advise the applicant on fitting the insurance into their budget, the Volunteer find local accountants to provide pro bono services to assist the senior in preparing a monthly budget.
If the applicant cannot afford supplemental insurance, they will be referred to the other P.A.T.C.H. programs to seek financial assistance, in order to decrease expenses with other household expenses. This decrease may free up income in order to give the applicant money to purchase supplemental medical insurance.
GOALS: Seniors with moderate to severe medical problems need to have a way to call for help, in cases of emergencies. It is our intent to provide a medic alert bracelet for every senior in our program who has a medical condition which requires notice.
For those seniors who have severe medical problems, and chose to live at home, P.A.T.C.H. will provide a free emergency call system. The combination of a medic alert bracelet and an emergency call system will greatly increase a senior’s chances of surviving an emergency situation. It will also provide them peace of mind by knowing that they can call for help, in the event of a medical emergency.
Emergency responders will also be trained to look for PA.T.C.H.’s thumb drive key chain, which lists all of the senior’s medications and medical diagnosis. We will also design a placard for the doors and windows of the senior’s home, which will identify the senior as a member of our organization.
GOALS: Medicare, the largest program of health care for seniors, does not provide dental care. Neither does Medicare Advantage managed care plan or Medigap private supplemental health insurance plans.
Medicaid is the federal/state joint program of health care benefits for certain people, including seniors, who have low income and assets. It doesn’t generally cover dental care. But a few state Medicaid programs provide some minimal dental care in certain counties.
Goals: Our goal is to improve each senior participant’s health through a three-pronged program for preventative care. The program will be carried out by a corp of medical professional volunteers and medically trained volunteers (MPV).
Before each doctor’s appointment, an MPV will interview the senior to get an exhaustive list of symptoms and other information that the medical provider will need. Often, the senior is nervous or afraid and may forget to tell the physician all of the medical problems and symptoms that they are experiencing. However, in the comfort of their homes, there is higher probability that they will remember all of the medical issues that occur day-to-day. In order to further assist senior, the MPV will have a standard list of questions to ask the senior, including information on their family’s medical history. The physician is better equipped to help the patient, when they have all of the pertinent information.
Goals: To provide assistance to seniors in order to decrease their expenses for all utilities. The problem will be approached from two fronts: to reduce utility costs through weatherization and to seek assistance with payment of utility bills.
Weatherization. Some seniors reside in older, energy inefficient homes. Energy cost for square foot can run 2-3 times higher than the cost for a newer, well insulated home. By helping the senior apply for and receive weatherization (storm windows, insulation, caulking, etc.), utilities may be cut 40-60%. This reduction will allow the senior to cool and heat the home, within their budgets.
Utility Payment Assistance. Most of the major utility companies have a payment assistance program. It will be the task of the P.A.T.C.H. volunteer to quality each applicant and follow the application through the approval process. If the senior applicant does not qualify for programs run by the utility companies, the volunteers will be tasked with: finding every utility payment assistance program available; submitting the applications; and tracking the application throughout the process
Individual/Corporate Assistance. The Board will seek and maintain a list of faithful individuals who will agree to pay monthly/annual donations which will be earmarked solely for the utility payment assistance program.
GOALS: To provide seniors, who have low to moderate incomes, furniture, fixtures, equipment and bedding for their homes.
The need for additional furniture, bedding in linens occurs due to lack of funds to replace aging items, the addition of children to the home and damage from wear and tear.
The breakdown of a major appliance, can wreck havoc with the senior’s finances. Replacement of an appliance, in many cases, requires going into debt to finance a replacement. The monthly payment reallocates dollars that were previously budgeted for food and utilities.
As any newlywed couple knows, it is very expense to up-fit a home. For a senior, keeping a home up-fitted can be financially taxing. PAT.C.H. wants to remove this burden from the senior, which will allow them to use their resources for the basic necessities and have money left over for some of life’s pleasures
GOALS: Glaucoma is one of the leading cause of blindness in the State of Mississippi, especially for the elderly.
By providing free eye exams and glaucoma checks for seniors, the diseases of the eye can be caught early and a course of treatment recommended which will prevent blindness. With early detection and treatment, many seniors may avoid blindness or diminished vision and the resulting decrease in their quality of life.
Goal: To identify seniors who are faced with acquiring nutritious food and to find programs that are designed to provide free food to the elderly.
Adequate daily nutrition is essential for: healthy aging; the prevention or delay of chronic diseases and diseaserelated disabilities; the treatment and management of chronic diseases; and for overall quality of life. Many seniors do not have access to nutritious foods due to low income, lack of knowledge of food programs, and location (living in rural areas far from cheaper grocery stores).
Adequate servings of lean proteins, dairy and fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to keeping the senior healthy and aiding their bodies to heal from any ongoing medical problems. Also, many senior require supplements (vitamins and minerals) to combat the medical problems associated with aging. Some supplements are related to the race of the senior: additional calcium is required for some Caucasians and Asians and additional Vitamin D may be required by people of color.
Goal: To assist senior citizens who desire to maintain an independent living status, in their own homes.
Volunteers will assist the senior by finding programs, completing and following up on all paperwork, and coordinating the services from each program.
P.A.T.C.H., through coordination with other providers, will help qualified applicants find and apply for services to help them with routine tasks: cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, bathing, dressing, safety education, and other general health care needs.
County, state, federal and non-profit agencies provide these services. However, many seniors who qualify have never applied because: they are unaware of the services; they have no one to help them complete the paperwork; and, they lack transportation to get to multiple appointments
