Community Resources for the Elderly in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Essay Example

"Community Resources for the Elderly in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma" is a great example of a paper on social and family issues.

            Following are some of the community resources available for the elderly who live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma:

1. Mobile Meals: Mobile Meals is a program that caters to the home-bound elderly in Oklahoma countries who are at risk of going hungry due to lack of transportation, inability to prepare meals at home or have limited income. It is funded by a field of interest grant from the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. Mobile Meals has had a tremendous impact on the community since 1971 when it first began. It relies on volunteers from churches and non-profit organizations to cook and deliver warm meals to nearly 1000 seniors annually (Oklahoma City Community Foundation, 2011).
2. Carter Healthcare and Hospice: The Carter Health Care and Hospice provide medical, social, emotional, and spiritual support to patients who are suffering from a terminal illness and their families. Their services range from skilled nursing and related care, home care pharmacy and IV therapy, hospice care, private-duty care and respiratory care (Carter Healthcare, n.d.). Carter Health Care is a privately owned company and has earned a good reputation for providing high quality and safe care to elderly people in the community.
3. Daily Living Centers Adult Day Healthcare Program: This program provides adult day health care to individuals who are suffering from chronic physical and mental impairments like post-stroke conditions, arthritis, cardiovascular conditions, depression, and dementia. It provides a range of social and health services to the elderly who need supervised care outside their home during the day. This facility is operated in cooperation with the Oklahoma City Housing Authority and Baptist Home Care. It receives funding from the Department of Human Services. They also generate income through program operations, foundation grants, United Way of Central Oklahoma appropriations and individual donations (Daily Living Centers, 2010). This program has had a tremendous impact on the elderly community as it encourages independence, restores lost functioning where possible, prevents or delays deterioration and encourages involvement in social activities regardless of disabilities.
4. Rebuilding Together: Rebuilding Together is a non-profit organization that helps to improve the living conditions of low-income elderly homeowners by making repairs and modifications to their homes like replacing windows and doors, repairing leaky roofs, fixing minor plumbing, trash removal and installing grab bars and handrails. They receive funding from Oklahoma City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund and from local and national businesses, organizations and individuals. They also receive in-kind materials and donations to make these repairs throughout the year and on the annual April “Work Day”. They have had a tremendous impact on the community as their volunteer team has repaired over 1,650 homes of low-income elderly people in the community in the last 18 years (Rebuilding Together, 2005).
5. Will Rogers Senior Citizen Center: This is an activities center that is designed for seniors above 55 years that provides a variety of classes like arts and crafts, ceramics, flower arrangements, singing, piano and dance lessons (Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department, 2011). They also conduct group meetings, activities, and events that specifically cater to the needs of the elderly. It is operated and maintained by the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department. This facility has impacted a large number of elderly citizens and has given them an opportunity to engage in a wide variety of activities to keep them healthy and motivated during their senior years.