Caring for Senior Citizens in Fort Bend And Waller Counties https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2010/caring-for-senior-citizens-in-fort-bend-and-waller-counties https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Caring for Senior Citizens in Fort Bend And Waller Counties

Additional Information
Used for	When case managers go to seniors' home for the first time, they often find them greatly malnourished and frail. It is important to get them back on their feet, otherwise a long hospital stay/death happens. The organization recently lost the private funder who provided the much needed supplement drink Ensure, which this grant will cover. Website: www.fortbendseniors.org (form said this was not a valid address)
Benefits	The funds will purchase 75 cases of the supplemental drink Ensure, at a cost of $49.95 per case = $3,746.25. These cases are needed immediately and will last approximately three months. We will continue to seek funds to cover this cost.
Proposal Description	Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels provides meals and services to over 1,000 seniors a day. Due to the baby boomers moving into retirement, we are receiving approx. 30+ per week of seniors in need. These seniors live alone, no longer are able to drive-nor their friends, do not have a support group and if their are any children they are not able or available to care for their parents. All seniors served live on a fixed income, are low-to-moderate income and do not have any other resources. Fort Bend Seniors is the only organization which provides meals/services to all seniors 60+ without regard to race, faith, gender, culture, etc. With the baby boomers (who make up one-third of America's population) it is important to all tax payers that these seniors remain as healthy as possible and in their homes for as long as possible. Otherwise, tax payers will begin picking up the tab to care for them which could create massive problems. The cost to provide a meal and services is much more economic then nursing homes. The Ensure drink these funds will purchase will allow seniors to get back on their feet quicker without a Medicare covered hospital visit (which tax payers cover). Also, this drink allows seniors who are not eating much due to recent illness, etc. to have the daily nurition required to live without going downhill. As the senior begins to improve and eating more of their daily meal delivered by one of the over 550 rotating volunteers, they once again become able to care for themselves, which is one of the goals. The other goal is as a community, it is important to care for our senior citizens and to provide resources to this generation who served in the military, went to work every day and raised a family. Yet, today they find themselves alone and simply need a helping hand in making ends meet since their savings are no longer stretching to cover basic living expenses. Many of our volunteers ask the question, if we did not care for these seniors' who would? The answer, we do not know.