Development of the Agency for Forgotten Elderly - Research Proposal Example

GRANT PROPOSAL: Development of The Agency for Forgotten Elderly (A.F.E HERE HERE The Agency for Forgotten Elderly Introduction There are several different organizations designed to offer services and support for the elderly American citizen, including the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and The Gray Panthers, both organizations working toward improving the welfare of older Americans. This represents very limited support for the countless elderly that either do not understand how to access the benefits provided by these organizations or those that continue to be exploited by others in society. Older Americans are often the victim of many ageism prejudices and often they are abandoned by family members when they are considered no longer relevant as contributing members of society. Despite the best efforts of agencies such as AARP, older Americans often face psychological problems stemming from depression, loneliness, social isolation, or simple ageism from younger Americans still in their prime. Elderly Americans require a new type of organization that provides both counseling services and opportunities to improve their well-being by having advocates that can provide real-time support and provide an outlet for these citizens to connect with other struggling, older Americans. For this reason and more, this proposal requests funding to develop The Agency for Forgotten Elderly (A.F.E.). Problem Statement The current economic climate creates many different budget cuts for social services, therefore “many elder-related services have limited programs to help, thus this group tends to suffer more than any other social group” (Dauphin, 2006, p.23). It has always been a problem, even prior to the aforementioned budget issues for social services, to come up with a meaningful organization equipped to provide extended support services for elderly Americans struggling with difficult social or psychological issues. In society, the elderly are often the target for many different exploitations, ranging from financial extortion and fraud to being unable to procure meaningful work because of ageist principles in the social norm. Elderly citizens are often abused by their caretakers or sociopathic types that seek to cause them emotional harm to justify their own egocentrism. Agencies such as AARP and The Gray Panthers simply are not equipped to handle these complicated issues with real-time support services. When older Americans are the victim of exploitation or abuse, “they are often reluctant to report it because they feel ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated, afraid and may even defend the abuser” (azag.gov, 2008, p.3). Victims of abuse or exploitation, outside of these powerful emotions, often have no place to turn for more than legal support in the event that they have been exploited. Coupled with emotional issues stemming from loneliness or abandonment, the pressures placed on the elderly can be substantial. It is the goal of the AFE to offer multiple support services so that senior citizens can have advocacy for many of the difficult problems they face in everyday lifestyle. The Demographics Current population demographics indicate a total of approximately 307 million people in the United States. Accounting for 12.8 percent of this total are men and women over the age of 65, equaling nearly 39.5 million elderly citizens (cia.gov, 2010). This volume of senior citizens can be found in urban, rural and suburban areas throughout the continental United States, meaning that the elderly know no geographic constraints; they are everywhere and need support. Addressing this Serious Problem After the age of 65, this social group is prone to experiencing sensations of loneliness, either from abandonment or through various losses such as retirement, physical health ailments, or loss of a trusted and beloved spouse (Pitkala, Routasalo, Kautiainen & Tilvis, 2009, p.792). This tends to lead to social isolation, which in turn can lead to lack of motivation to explore physical health improvement exercises or explore alternative recreational activities to bring better quality of life. When loneliness is the issue, research studies have uncovered that loneliness “predicts depressive symptoms, loss of mental cognition, early admission to nursing homes, mortality, alcoholism, and even suicidal ideation” (Hawkley, Hughes, Waite & Masi, 2008, p.S376). Being isolated from others in society is a common lifestyle consequence for the elderly and it is the proposed objective for The Agency for Forgotten Elderly to provide recreational activities, job searching advice and support, group activities for people fitting this same category, support for reporting exploitation or abuse, and psychological counseling when required. This can only be accomplished successfully with a well-structured organizational design that invites social workers and other support volunteers skilled in multiple disciplines of psychology, law and sociology to make this new agency effective and relevant to the needs of a very disadvantaged social group. Timeline The development of this agency will require ongoing financial support to maintain services indefinitely. Preliminary development will involve establishing an appropriate headquarters, recruiting the necessary talent in diverse fields of study to support the agency, and promoting its existence through comprehensive promotional marketing. At the time of funds receipt, the development and launch phase is expected to consist of two to four months, depending on success with recruitment and training efforts. Analysis Individuals in this social group that have experienced abuse or exploitation have many factors the predispose them to these events. They include “cognitive impairment, physical or emotional dysfunction, dependence on their abuser, social isolation, estranged family members, the presence of multiple medications, or lack of financial caretakers to assist with funds management” (Hall, Hall & Chapman, 2005, p.30). The inability of other social agencies to handle this multitude of predispositions puts the elderly citizen at risk of multiple exploitation. In the event of social isolation, dependence on alcohol is a common consequence. Research also suggests that people over the age of 70 often spend the majority of their time with rather meaningless activities such as “housework, reading and resting, watching television, or generic self-maintenance” (Gunnarsson, 2009, p.34). These common behaviors, even when not faced with abuse or exploitation, can lead to any number of emotional or physical problems when this group no longer has the drive to explore alternative recreational outlets. The ideology behind the AFE is to create a sanctuary for elderly citizens who crave more social interaction or simply need an advocate to rise in their defense to reinforce their value as important social contributors. The main value is to create a sense of trust between the older citizen and the representatives of the organization, gaining perceptions of asylum when their lifestyles become mundane or too difficult to bear alone. For the citizens that, geographically, cannot be serviced in real-time by AFE representatives, a hotline will be established to improve quality of communications and offer low-key counseling support. It is proposed that The Agency for Forgotten Elderly will be able to reduce the incidents of emotional instability in this social group after its inception, as well as publicizing its efforts to reduce exploitation so as to minimize its nationwide occurrence. The efforts of the AFE will be coordinated with the appropriate media outlets to generate press releases regarding success with various case studies and also to publicize innovative exploitation-reduction efforts. As a tool for advocacy for this group, the broader society will benefit through education on ageism and reducing prejudice against this disadvantaged social group. Policy Elements The proposed mission of AFE is as follows: To capitalize on elderly talent through endowment exercises designed to refresh vibrancy and social relevance to those in need. Through multi-disciplined representatives and ongoing support services, The Agency for Forgotten Elderly undertakes the responsibility of social education pertaining to elderly citizens as the most viable task force for sustaining or improving quality of lifestyle and emotional health. In order to be eligible for AFE support services, the individual must be older than 60 years of age. Because this is primarily a counseling and support system (such as through career development), exclusion is only based on age factors alone. The AFE will be an inclusive environment open to elderly citizens in need of positive reinforcement or generic assistance in lifestyle encouragement. Services include legal representation (not free legal services) to counsel citizens on their options in the event of exploitation or abuse, mental health counseling on an appointment basis, career development training and direction, and group meetings designed to help seniors connect with other lonely and/or abandoned seniors. Financing The AFE annual budget is based on several mitigating factors related to ongoing operations of this necessary support service agency. They include, but are not necessarily limited to: Staff, training and salary: To support the services, there will be a need for one legal counselor, two professional counselors, three operational representatives, and one senior administrator. Yearly salary costs are budgeted at $135,000. Recruitment costs and training seminars: $30,000. All other representatives of the organization will be volunteer-based and will receive no compensation for their efforts. Supplies and equipment: The Agency will require use of several desktop computers and associated software, generic office supplies, a budget for ongoing publication of training and support literature, and marketing promotional materials. Annual cost: $20,000. Rent and utilities: Commercial rental space is reduced in this economy in many professional office buildings. Utility use will vary but is estimated on square footage required. Annual cost: $60,000. Travel: It may be required to have representatives travel to different senior citizen households or attend psychology or sociology seminars to improve their support capabilities. Travel budget will vary based on yearly demand for educational or support services. Annual cost: $18,000. The program will be financed using grant funds, charitable donations from the general public and capable senior citizens that believe in the AFE support services, and through a proposed annual telethon (for broadcast on local public broadcasting stations). The proposed AFE is seeking $300,000 to include all developmental, recruitment, start-up and annual support services costs. Future grant requests will be dependent on the success of charitable efforts on behalf of the AFE administrator. Staffing Recruitment efforts will include a detailed recruitment website with clear job role responsibilities identified, such as through using CareerBuilder or procuring external talent to develop an AFE homepage with adaptable linkages. Potential employees will be required to have at least three years experience in their field of knowledge, with no less than a Bachelor’s Degree with emphasis on psychology or sociology studies. Practical knowledge must include a basic foundation of gerontology verifiable through educational credentials. Evaluation of AFE Services Quantitative surveys will be distributed to all senior citizens that are registered with the AFE to analyze opinion both pre- and post-support to measure areas of perceived weakness or strength in support philosophy. Administration will perform bi-annual performance appraisals on support representatives and administer feedback as required. In conjunction, the use of an independent auditing firm will occur annually to offer suggestions on policy and support services to ensure the agency is positioned properly to maximize assistance and counseling. References Azag.gov. (2008). “Financial Exploitation of the Elderly”. Arizona Elder Abuse Coalition. Retrieved March 30, 2010 from http://www.azag.gov/seniors/FinancialExploitationoftheElderly.pdf. Cia.gov. (2010). “The World Factbook”. Retrieved March 31, 2010 from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html. Dauphin, Normand. (2006). “The Exploitation of the Elderly: A working paper”. Retrieved March 29, 2010 from http://www.cdpdj.qc.ca/en/publications/docs/exploitation_elderly_consult.pdf. Gunnarsson, Evy. (2009). “I think I have a good life: The everyday lives of older women and men from a lifecourse perspective”, Ageing and Society, Cambridge. 29(1), pp.33-49. Hall, R., Hall, R. & Chapman, M. (2005). “Exploitation of the Elderly: Undue Influence as a Form of Elder Abuse”, Clinical Geriatrics, 13(2), p.30. Retrieved March 30, 2010 from http://www.ncsconline.org/famviol/elderabuse/pdf/Exploitation%20of%20Elderly_Undue%20Influence.pdf Hawkley, L., Hughes, M., Waite, L., & Masi, C. (2008). “From Social Structural Factors to Perceptions of Relationship Quality and Loneliness: The Chicago Health, Aging, and Social Relations Study”, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B – Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Washington. 63B(6), pp.S375-S385. Pitkala, K., Routasalo, P., Kautiainen, H. & Tilvis, R. (2009). “Suffering from Loneliness: A Randomized, Controlled Trial”, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A – Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Washington. 64A(7), pp.792-801. Read More