Elderberry Institute-Guiding Principles

  Satisfaction & Efficacy
  Extrapolations
  Outcomes

Enabling elders to live safely and securely in their own homes and communities.

The Living at Home/Block Nurse Program:

Is governed by neighborhood/community residents within the geographic boundaries they define. Read More
Stimulates neighborly expressions of caring and friendship. Read More
Provides or arranges for quality comprehensive health, social and support services for elders. Read More
Provides services that meet the elder's comprehensive needs over time. Read More
Emphasizes health promotion, early intervention and management of chronic conditions. Service provision is based upon need rather than ability to pay. Read More
Conducts ongoing and productive outreach in the community. Read More
Learns best practices, shares knowledge and avoids duplication of efforts by collaborating with other community services and agencies, other Living at Home/Block Nurse Programs and Elderberry Institute, within available resources. Read More
Supports area, regional, state and national collaboration. Read More
Maximizes current funding and develops new private and public funding sources. Read More
Evaluates program effectiveness regularly and responds to changing community needs. Read More

(effective for programs started after 5/1/99)

Living at Home/Block Nurse Program Guiding Principles have been expressed in community programs through the following approaches.

Community programs are governed by neighborhood/community residents within the geographic boundaries they define.
- By a neighborhood/community board of directors or steering committee with most (at least 2/3) of the members being local residents who have knowledge of the neighborhood/community and its values and effective awareness of resources residing in the community.
- With services provided to elders in a neighborhood/community with specific geographic boundaries defined by the residents of the community.
- By employing qualified staff and recruits volunteers who whenever possible live in the community, are knowledgeable about their community's values and resources, and understand the importance of neighborhood-based support and care.
- By establishing close ties with other key neighborhood organizations and groups, including churches, local government, business groups, block clubs and other voluntary organizations, to promote joint efforts in meeting the needs of older neighbors.
- By establishing itself as a 501[c](3) non-profit organization (or a functional equivalent that maintains a clear sense of the Program's community ownership and control over its own future) within 2 years of signing the Founder's Agreement.
Back to top
Community Programs stimulate neighborly expressions of caring and friendship.
- By seeking out socially isolated persons and sensitively plans for social contact, activities and special celebrations - for example: helping to address Christmas cards, delivering birthday cakes or plants and flowers, developing pen pal relationships with school children, organizing May Day parties, pot lucks and multigenerational cooking classes.
- By reaching out to attract local volunteers of all ages, the program coordinates volunteer support and resources for services such as minor repairs, yard work and grocery delivery.
- By creating and enhancing informal neighborhood connections to link older people with former social contacts - for example: church activities, dancing, clubs, school reunions.
- By educating volunteer friendly visitors about normal aging, listening issues and helping themselves and others deal with loss.
Back to top
Community Programs provide or arrange for quality comprehensive health, social and support services for elders.
- They are person and family centered. The support and care needs of the individual and family determine the specific design of support and care services provided by volunteers and professionals.
- They meet the quality care standards defined and required by the partnership with a homecare nursing agency and funders such as Medicare, Medicaid or grantors.
- They provide and sponsor staff/volunteer orientation and training commensurate with the level of responsibility and/or knowledge required to assure high quality care through collaborative team efforts.
Back to top
Community Programs provide services that meet the elder's comprehensive needs over time.
- By establishing long-term, trusting relationships with elders and their caregivers.
- By maintaining a single point of contact for support, care and service coordination resulting in as few different persons as possible entering the elder's home.
- By emphasizing a team approach. The elder person, their families and/or surrogate families, home health aide, nurse, volunteer, physician (as needed) and other allied health professionals are actively work as a team. Together they design, coordinate and deliver services, offering a continuum of support and care services specifically tailored to the special needs and circumstances of that individual.
Back to top
Community Programs emphasize health promotion, early intervention and management of chronic conditions. Service provision is based upon need rather than ability to pay.
- By combining informal volunteer support services, emphasizing social support, health promotion and prevention of illness and injury with professional and personal care to meet individuals' needs.
- By serving well, slightly frail or frail residents of the defined community who need support and care, regardless of their ability to pay.
Back to top
Community programs conduct ongoing and proactive outreach in the community.
- By promoting ongoing and proactive outreach to under-served elders. Focuses on disease and injury prevention, continuous support and care, and physical-mental wellness, with maintenance and custodial care based on all needs-(rather than episodic care focused only on illness or chronic disease); establishes community processes tailored to meeting these needs.
- Reaches out to under-served elders and works with family and friends, rather than waiting for others to initiate contact.
Back to top
Community programs learn the best practices, share knowledge and avoid duplication of efforts within available resources.
- They select a credible community-oriented non-profit or governmental sponsor within the neighborhood/ community to temporarily act as its fiscal agent, if appropriate to enable the receipt of charitable tax exempt funds prior to receiving 501(c)(3) status.
- They provide nursing services through a partnership and a mutually beneficial negotiated contract with a Medicare-certified homecare nursing agency, including joint recruitment and hiring of staff, to enable those elders served access to private insurance and public entitlement programs.
- They use coordination, joint efforts and partnerships with existing community resources to provide needed services that respect the goals, values and principles of the individuals served and of the neighborhood Program. This cooperation increases efficiency, limits competition, reduces service duplication and eliminates the need to create new management levels or agencies.
Back to top
Community Programs support area, regional, state and national collaboration.
- By contributing to the development of collective resources that benefit all programs as time allows by cooperating with the initiatives of Elderberry Institute, participating in surveys, sharing locally produced ideas and materials, serving on focus groups/task forces/ committees, testing new tools or approaches, engaging in network dialogues concerning program issues and staying current with fee payments (when applicable).
- Participates in area, regional, state and national efforts, as time allows, to support system changes that enhance services and commitments to the needs of elders.
Back to top
Community Programs maximize current funding and develops new private and public funding sources.
- They are reimbursed, through the homecare nursing agency, by billing entitlement and insurance programs and/or those individuals served based on their ability to pay.
- They solicit contributions and grants to pay for services not reimbursed by other programs or the individual. The community Program negotiates with the homecare nursing agency partner shared responsibility for paying some level of unreimbursed nursing service charges.
Back to top
Community Programs evaluate their own effectiveness regularly and respond to changing community needs.
- By completing the program self-assessment process with the help of a Community Coach and using results to improve local capabilities and services.
- By participating fully in the Elderberry Institute periodic Program re-certification process.
- By submitting timely, accurate status reports to Elderberry Institute as agreed to in the Founder's Agreement.
Back to top