Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area

 

It is said it takes a village to raise a child. At Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area, we believe it also takes a village to help our elders maintain independence and dignity as they age.  For more than 20 years, our dedicated staff and amazing volunteers have made it possible to carry out our mission of helping seniors to remain in the home of their choice for as long as it is safe to do so.

 

Located in the heart of lake country, we provide a number of services to residents of Southern Hubbard, Eastern Becker and Northern Wadena counties. Our care receivers and volunteers range from year-round residents to snowbirds that join us for the warmer parts of the year. Qualifying for assistance is pretty easy – you need to reside in our service area and you need to be at least 65 years of age. For our respite program the age range varies slightly, opening the door for care receivers 60 and up and caregivers of any age.

We work hard to maintain, add and adapt our repertoire of donation-based core services. While donations make it possible to continue to provide our services, those in need will never be turned away because of inability or unwillingness to donate. Our core services include:

 

• Transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping, or other errands

• Light housekeeping on an occasional basis

• Minor handyman service, including grab bar installation

• Friendly visits and phone calls

• Ramp building – we provide the labor, seniors cover the materials costs

 

Respite care – giving caregivers a break up to once a week

Additionally, we offer a caregiver support program, led by our certified caregiver consultant. This piece of the puzzle includes a monthly caregiver discussion group that provides education and networking time as well as one-on-one sessions with “the coach”, as needed, to help care for the caregiver.

Our most recent addition to services is our Geriatric Care Management program. We are the first organization in Minnesota to offer a Nationally Certified Geriatric Care Manager!

In this program, which is fee based, we are able to go beyond our typical volunteer-centered services, offering an array of advanced assistance to help someone remain safely at home. Service through Geriatric Care Management is individualized based on need, but can include:

 

• Evaluation of senior housing options and safety in current location

• Establishing and monitoring homecare services

• Attending medical appointments and communicating information to family members

• Providing opportunities for a senior to engage in activities that enrich quality of life

• Legal and financial referrals

• Providing information on and connecting families with entitlements (i.e. Veteran’s Services)

 

Keeping family members and other providers up-to-date on the changing needs of a senior

While our office staff is very dedicated to our mission, it is our volunteers that are the heart of what we do. With more than 200 seniors in need of service each year in our area, volunteers are always needed. We are frequently looking for people who love to do handyman work or housekeeping, play cards, visit with seniors in their homes, or take someone to the grocery store or to a medical appointment. It takes very little effort to make a big difference in someone else’s life. Many of our volunteers tell us they are the ones truly gaining reward from the experience!

 

If you know of someone in the Park Rapids Area that may benefit from our services or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact us by telephone at 218-732-3137 or email info@parkrapidslivingathome.org. We would love to hear from you!