Seniors / Achievements, activities : Center Helps Frail Elderly Stay Home

Caseworkers and scores of volunteers at the Huntington Beach Seniors’ Outreach Center are helping an increasing number of frail elderly people stay in their homes longer.

Peggy Ryan, a full-time case worker, and three part-time assistants are now working with more than 350 elderly people to evaluate their situations and determine what services are needed.

Each month the client list grows by about 20, said Betsy Crimi, human services coordinator for the city-sponsored outreach program, but the number of people varies as some move to nursing homes or die. “We’re still bringing in more people than we are losing,” she said.

The clientele at the city’s Michael E. Rodgers Seniors’ Center is growing too. In 1995, the center served 75,437 senior citizens, about 10,000 more people than in 1994. That does not include drop-ins--people who visited the center but did not sign up for services and programs--or those who received information and referrals by telephone.

Those in the outreach program range in age from 60 to 96. Services include delivered meals, transportation and finding community resources to help the elderly maintain their self-sufficiency.

Case workers make house visits and monitor seniors by phone. About 120 volunteers deliver meals, drive seniors to appointments or to the market, offer peer counseling and bring “cheer and warmth,” Crimi said.

Ryan, 65, has been a city caseworker for 10 years and said that, if not for the outreach, “many of these people would not be in the community today. They would be in long-term care facilities if it weren’t for this program.”

The Seniors’ Outreach Center is at 1718 Orange Ave. Information: (714) 960-2478.