The 100-year-old woman had nowhere to go after her caregiver was arrested on drug charges.
Family members couldn’t make decisions for their loved one’s care because they were constantly fighting.
The cases of seniors in need of someone to advocate for them stick with judges, investigators or others who encounter the residents, often because finding a solution is challenging.
Now, a new local program aims to help solve that issue, and needs volunteers who want to help.
Last month, the county followed the lead of about a dozen other communities around the state and created a Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Persons, or VASIA, program. The program is similar to the county’s CASA, or child in need of services, program, where volunteers advocate for children involved in abuse or neglect situations.
The new program is geared toward seniors or adults who are unable to make decisions for themselves and don’t have anyone who can advocate for their needs, such as in healthcare, applying for Medicare or deciding where they should live.
In the past, courts were left to make those decisions in some cases. And sometimes the only option was appointing someone from the hospital or assisted living facility bringing the case to their attention, even though that person had a conflict of interest by working for the facility, said Johnson County Superior Court No. 1 Judge Kevin Barton, who helped found the program.
“What do you do when there is no one available?” he said.
Other communities had started their own VASIA programs. So Johnson County applied for and received a $50,000 state grant for the program. The county can apply to renew the funding, but the goal from the state is to eventually become self-funding, Barton said.
Now, the next step is working to build a core group of volunteers and compile a listing of seniors who need help, Barton said.
The goal is to get 10 to 15 volunteers trained and ready to help, program director Joe Erickson said.
Volunteers don’t need a specific knowledge base, and can really be the most beneficial if they are compassionate and want to help seniors in need, Erickson said.
The county is offering a training program next month, which will include sessions on topics ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to hospice care. They estimate the time commitment from volunteers will be about eight to 10 hours per month, including meeting with seniors, attending case conferences and writing a report for the court, Erickson said.
What they will be deciding depends on each case, and could range from finding additional services for seniors, making sure they get needed healthcare, managing finances and finding a place for them to live, Barton said.
Exactly how many cases they will have and volunteers they will need long-term isn’t yet known, but the need is expected to grow due to aging demographics across the nation, Barton said.
The service is absolutely needed, said Jerry Kiefer, adult protective services investigator, and Kim Smith, director of Johnson County Senior Services.
Both have seen cases where an advocate was needed, but they had nowhere to turn, they said.
Kiefer has met seniors in need of an advocate when they are removed from situations where a caregiver is not properly caring for them, but had no one who could help. The best option in some cases was to take them to the hospital, and then the hospital would need to work with the court to make decisions for the senior, he said.
Those cases often come without warning, so having a program with volunteers ready to help will be immediately beneficial, he said.
“We are really looking forward to this. We think it has great promise,” he said.
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Here is how you can get involved as a volunteer for the Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Persons program:
Requirements: No criminal history or involvement in cases with Adult Protective Services. No specific knowledge or background required, but volunteers must go through training.
Next training: 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 24, 25, 26. Johnson County Public Library, Franklin branch, 401 State St., Franklin.
Contact: Joe Erickson at 317-346- 4414 or by email at [email protected]
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