The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #38018

Susan M Farner, PhD, Community Health, University of Illinois, 120 Huff Hall, Champaign, IL 61821, 309- 663-1522, smfarner@yahoo.com

Many services are available to the elderly and disabled at the county and local levels in this Midwestern County. There are barriers to people using these services. The major barriers are knowledge that the services exist and knowing how to access the services. A coalition of eight agencies assessed these problems and worked to develop a plan to address these barriers. A short (10min) power-point presentation was developed to address the problem of knowledge of services. The presentation highlighted available services and was then given at Peace Meal locations throughout the county. The problem of access to services was discussed at length. The coalition finally realized that two agencies in the county have links to all other agencies that provide the needed services. The two basic agencies’ phone numbers were printed on a bookmark and distributed at the Peace Meal presentations and at other locations throughout the county. The program was evaluated by a survey six months following the presentations to assess if the information had been retained and used by the participants.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the barriers to services faced by the elderly population.
• Apply the strategy presented to other locations.
• Discuss the way to provide access to services to the elderly population.

Keywords: Access and Services, Elderly

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.