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About
Project Descriptions
Social Services Work Group
Amy Waters, Chair
Amy Waters, Worcester Executive Office of Elder Affairs; Geralyn Bailey, Age Center; Maggie Briggs, Age Center; Lois Green, UMass Memorial; Catherine Loeffler, Catholic Charities; John Paul Marosy, Eileen O’Brien, Central MA Agency on Aging; Stephen Slaten, Jewish Family Services
Non-Medical Needs Assessment and Action
Accomplished: On June 24, 2003, a Community Forum was conducted with about fifty representatives of an array of professions who play a role in serving the non-medical needs of EOL patients and their families. A primary finding was that there are a variety of services available for caregivers, but there is a need to supplement existing ways to get information to families who may need it early in the process of coping with end of life issues. A review reveals that excellent information is made available by the Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging via its Caregiver’s Guide, SeniorConnection.org, and information and referral hotline. The Partnership work groups are including information about these resources in work group programs to encourage advance care planning. Employers are being encouraged to consider programs to ease the burden on the 20% to 30% employers who are caregivers.
Planned: Continue the above outreach.
Promote Advance Care Planning
via A Guide for a Better Ending
Accomplished: An outreach and training effort was launched at a meeting in October 2003 to enlist the support of leadership in social service organizations to promote advance care planning. Follow up meetings were conducted with15 organizations (Age Center, Center for Living and Working, Central MA Agency on Aging Advisory Board, Elder Services, Central MA Association of Councils on Aging, Worcester Housing Authority, and 9 local Councils on Aging) to encourage the use and distribution of A Guide for A Better Ending, transmitting information about advance care planning and other resources to the individuals and families with whom they work. Central MA Agency on Aging and Elder Services now include information about Better Ending in their outreach to caregivers. An attended table display on Better Ending was provided at Elder Care 2004, a major outreach fair in October, as well as at the Auburn Senior Fair.
The Better Ending Speaker’s Bureau and video were utilized to hold four forums in the summer of 2004 at Senior Centers in Worcester, Auburn, Shrewsbury and Holden. The forums were analyzed by a student intern and the information was utilized to plan a forum which was held and taped on September 1, 2004 at the Shrewsbury Public Access Cable Television station. The agenda was a brief introduction, showing of the Better Ending tape, audience comments, and presentation of the Better Ending story by Flo Leclair with a question and answer period. The tape has been edited to 30 minutes including an introduction and concluding comments by Dr. Wheeler. It has been distributed to 62 Central Massachusetts senior centers and agencies on aging. Towns with public access cable stations have been urged to include the Better Ending tape in their programming.
Planned: Follow up to ensure full utilization of the Better Ending tape for meetings as well as cable channels. Organizations which have already been contacted will be called to learn how they are utilizing the Better Ending material and to offer further assistance. The work group will also collaborate with the Partnership marketing communications program to maintain and expand awareness and utilization of Better Ending and other end-of-life resources.
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