<p>Since 2016, Johnson County adults unable to make decisions for themselves have had volunteers to look out for their best interests.</p><p>Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults, or VASIA, was formed to provide court-appointed overseers to help those in need with financial and medical decision making. The organization has provided county residents afflicted with conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and mental illnesses with invaluable assistance.</p><p>They have ensured that adults without the capabilities to make their own decisions have someone advocating for them. Now, the organization is expanding those services to help a neighboring county.</p><p>Johnson and Shelby County VASIA came into existence in late 2019. VASIA leadership started working with Shelby County officials to provide the same kind of advocacy available here, with plans to form an advisory board as well as recruit and train volunteers in Shelby County.</p><p>"At this point, more counties are not covered than covered in the state of Indiana," said Peter Jessen, chair of the Johnson and Shelby County VASIA. "This set of programs is less than 15 years old in the state, so the idea is that successful programs are encouraged to look in their general vicinity to look and see if they can expand to help underserved areas."</p><p>VASIA is a program that exists in counties throughout the state, made possible after the Indiana Supreme Court requested grant money from the legislature to create a volunteer advocate program, and that request was granted.</p><p>Locally, the VASIA program was created at the urging of Superior Court 1 Judge Kevin Barton more than three years ago. Oversight of the VASIA program is done locally by the courts, after adults in need of advocacy are referred, usually by nursing homes or other care institutions. A majority of their clients are elderly, but the program is open to anyone older than 18. The court assesses and investigates the person’s situation to see if they would be suitable for the program.</p><p>If it is determined the person needs public guardianship, the Superior Court is petitioned. Barton holds a hearing to either grant temporary or permanent guardianship, or deny the request if the evidence doesn’t support the need.</p><p>The extension into Shelby County came about during a discussion among a gathering of VASIA directors from around the state. Joe Erickson, executive director of VASIA at the time, was looking at areas where advocacy services were lacking. He noted that Shelby County had no VASIA-type program in place.</p><p>Board members suggested that Johnson County use their existing infrastructure and services provided to help jump-start advocacy in Shelby County.</p><p>Erickson and a pair of board members set up a meeting with Judge Charles O’Connor, who was serving as the judge of Shelby County Circuit Court. O’Conner was enthusiastic about the idea, and motions were put in place to bring Shelby County under the Johnson County VASIA umbrella, Rynerson said.</p><p>"We will help facilitate the program there, but we’re very much open to Shelby County doing what they want at the same time," she said. "A lot of VASIA programs in the state partner with other counties, that way it’s not individualized, so you can get more partnerships and more funding that way. This was an opportunity for us to expand."</p><p>Since the process of expanding into Shelby County started, Rynerson has transitioned into the role of executive director of the organization. She joined VASIA as a volunteer two years ago, and stepped into a part-time role in 2019.</p><p>Working with and helping older adults has been a focus of her career, having accumulated 16 years of experience in the healthcare field, including with Johnson Memorial Health and in senior living communities such as Otterbein, Compass Park and Hickory Creek in Franklin.</p><p>"(Erickson) knew I had worked in healthcare, and we had talked quite a bit. I was working at Hickory Creek, and had four or five residents who needed VASIA services. In working with Joe on that, I was able to do more of this kind of work and seeing how important it is," she said.</p><p>Erickson started discussing with her last year taking over as executive director, and at the start of the year, she stepped into that role. Erickson has remained with VASIA as a guardian case manager.</p><p>"It’s been a learning curve for me. I came from the corporate world, and in the county setting it’s very different. But I love it," Rynerson said.</p><p>Their main focus so far has been seeing the transition to Johnson and Shelby County VASIA through, including tying up funding for the program. VASIA is funded through a state grant, and from the county.</p><p>To help accommodate the additional services that Johnson and Shelby County VASIA will be taking on as part of the expansion, additional money was provided through the Blue River Community Foundation, a group working to enhance community needs in Shelby County.</p><p>Local officials are working to recruit advisory board members to represent Shelby County — as well as training volunteers from the county — to provide the advocacy services to their neighbors and fellow Shelby County residents. The group will also be working with organizations within the county, such as Shelby County Senior Services, to better serve and identify people in need of help.</p><p>"We want to have a good relationship with the community, both in Johnson and Shelby counties. If there are people who live in the community and they need services, but don’t know what type or how to do it, that they feel comfortable calling us and letting us guide them," Rynerson said. "They don’t necessarily need to have guardianship with us; just questions on things like healthcare and financial aspects of being a senior."</p><p>In addition to recruiting volunteers from Shelby County, VASIA officials are constantly working to bring more Johnson County volunteers into the group as well. Though the county has about 25 advocates who serve as guardians, the more people who sign up, the more help they can provide those in need, Jessen said.</p><p>"Our program isn’t getting any smaller; it’s getting larger," he said. "We can use more good volunteers as well. They’re the lifeblood of the organization."</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="How to help" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Johnson and Shelby County Volunteer Advocates for Seniors and Incapacitated Adults is in need of volunteers to be public guardians for its program.</p><p>A training session is scheduled at 4 p.m. Feb. 20, at Johnson County Courthouse Superior Court 1, 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin.</p><p>Anyone 21 and older in either Johnson or Shelby counties can volunteer. A volunteer should expect to put in an average of 8 to 10 hours monthly. The time commitment will vary depending on the need of the protected person and their issues.</p><p>Anyone interested can contact 317-346-4414.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
Nobody covers Johnson County and the surrounding areas like the Daily Journal.
30 S. Water St., Second floor, Suite A, Franklin, IN 46131
Phone: (317) 736-7101
Toll free: (888) 736-7101
All text, photos, graphics, artwork and other material on this site are copyrighted and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Contact us: [email protected]
© Copyright AIM Media Indiana, LLC