Older Adults
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation has allocated the largest portion of its grant making budget to support older adults. There are three principal reasons for this allocation:
- Mr. Harry Weinberg spoke often of his empathy for those who had struggled all of their lives to provide for their families but because of advancing age, illness, and frailty were no longer able to care for themselves and their spouse.
- There are an ever-increasing number of older adults who need assistance. This results from longer life expectancies, greater financial need, unexpected health costs, and isolation from family members. Many of these older adults need assistance with the basic necessities of life (safe and affordable housing, long-term care, sufficient nutrition and health care, increased social connections, and opportunities to become more active in their communities).
- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, "The test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. It is easy to love children. Even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. But the affection and care for the old, the incurable, the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture."
The Foundation's major goal has been and will be the improvement of the ability of older adults to live meaningful and engaged lives in the community and to maintain their independence and dignity for as long as possible. In order to reach this goal, the Foundation specifically seeks:
- To improve the quality of life for low and moderate-income older adults in the community.
- To improve access to safe and effective health care (including mental health care) and social supports for frail older adults.
- To improve the coordination of the aging services network, including various private, government and non-profit service providers (e.g., the social service and health care providers).
- To improve the quality of care and effectiveness of services by expanding training and support for professionals and volunteers working in community settings and long-term care facilities.
The Foundation will emphasize activities and programs which:
- Encourage older adults to help themselves and their communities wherever possible;
- Provide for community infrastructure that supports older adults in their efforts to remain active and living in the community; and
- Increase activities for older adults to help build social capital and community connections, particularly in regard to supporting community-based care.
The Foundation's grants will support primarily those communities or projects which best combine health care (including mental health care) and supportive services for older adults living in community-based settings through partnerships between the local community, government, and not-for-profit organizations.
Key issues which the Foundation seeks to address include:
- Community-based support for frail older adults and their caregivers, whether formal or informal, family, friends or professionals;
- Expansion of transportation and mobility programs; and
- Replication of evidence-based programming throughout the United States (with preference for agencies in Maryland, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and New York) and Israel.
The Foundation approved many grants during the past year supporting programs for family caregiver support, transportation assistance, home modifications, screening and support for those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and expansion of naturally occurring retirement communities programs. The Foundation also approved a number of grants to capital projects which assist older adults to live in their communities, including the construction of affordable independent living for older adults with supportive services, construction of adult day centers for frail older adults, and headquarters facilities for service organizations.