LatinaLista — Anyone who comes from a big family knows that when abuela or abuelo needs help with something around the house, or a ride to the doctor or store or even help taking a bath, la familia is there to answer the call.
Yet, there are many senior citizens, whose families may not be nearby and who are on fixed incomes — just enough not to be considered living in poverty but too much to qualify for any kind of assistance — who are out of luck for getting any kind of affordable help, unless they live in Monterey County, California.
Those who do live in this area of California can call on Hands To Help Seniors (H2HS). Founded a year ago, the organization helps seniors to live independently by doing everything from the small chores that need to be done around the house to keep it in good repair to getting basic medical and nutritional needs met.
The services offered by H2HS range from helping replace a set of false teeth to cutting down trees that pose a threat to a home to finding financial assistance to help pay for a medical service. Though it’s geared to home-bound seniors, the organization also helps any adult with disabilities since the goal is to let these people, who are low-income, remain independent and in their own homes for as long as possible.
While it’s not a full-service organization like many national non-profits who cater to seniors, H2HS is proving effective at what it does. Responding to anyone’s request for assistance, members of the organization meet with the person to see what they want done. Then it’s decided how best to help that person — go through a third party or offer assistance directly.
Response from the community has been positive and with the number of seniors rising each year, it’s easy to see that this kind of service will be in demand wherever there are seniors who want to stay in their homes.
