According to the California Department of Health, there are over 420,786 annually reported falls throughout the state resulting in 348,946 patient emergency room visits. Falls continue to be one of the leading causes for deaths of individuals over the age of 65. The monetary cost to our healthcare system is in excess of 30 billion dollars per year. Falls can occur anywhere throughout an individual’s home, with the most common areas located at stairs, bedroom, and bathroom.

Sourcewise, the designated Area Agency on Aging in Santa Clara County, recently partnered with a regional home modifications company Home Safety Services to provide the “Dignity at Home Fall Prevention Program.” This new program will help address the critical health issue of falls that affect vulnerable adults 60+ and all adults with disabilities who are at increased risk of falls or recovering from a fall. The program will provide information & education, in-home and virtual assessments to identify potential hazards, and purchase home modification equipment for older adults and adults with disabilities. Sponsored by the California Department of Aging, the local Area Agency on Aging funds the Dignity at Home Fall Program that will help to provide low-income individuals with no cost fall prevention modifications including grab bars, shower chairs, transfer benches, handheld showers, toileting aides, ramps and more. The program is available to qualified low-income South County residents in Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy who are at risk of at home falls and starts January 2021.To learn about community resources available, contact a Community Resource Specialist: Call (408) 762-7362.

About 

About Sourcewise: At Sourcewise, our mission is to provide adults and their caregivers the tools and services they need to effectively navigate their health and life options. Through a comprehensive network of resources, Sourcewise strives to educate, support, and advocate for all adults, their families, and their caregivers within Santa Clara County. We empower our community by providing access to information, allowing for personal choices, and continued independence. Our commitment to offering community resource solutions is grounded in our rich history of serving the communities of Santa Clara County since 1973. Please call us if you or a loved one needs assistance with planning and preparing for your future. *Sourcewise is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. Visit: mysourcewise.com.

CONTACT: Rosie Jimenez, Director, South County Services community@mysourcewise.com

Home Safety Services is proud to be the home risk assessment and installation provider for Sourcewise’s Dignity at Home Fall Prevention Program. 

View the Home Safety Services article here: homesafety.net/2021/01/free-grab-bar-installations-for-santa-clara-south-county-residents/ 

“The holidays can be a difficult time if you’re alone. We know that there’s a lot of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation that comes with social isolation from social distancing,” said Linda Phillips, Director of Community Development at Sourcewise. “We’re hoping that these conversations with volunteers help reduce the negative impacts of social isolation for seniors.”

Sourcewise Community Resource Solutions and participating volunteers are on a mission to ensure that Santa Clara County’s senior community is being supported during this challenging holiday season.

Due to county guidelines to protect residents from the pandemic, there has been adverse effects. Many members of the vulnerable senior population are homebound, losing access to food resources and being disconnected from friends and family.

Through their Meals on Wheels (MOW) and new Ambassador program, Sourcewise is committed to not only providing homebound seniors with essential meals, but necessary companionship.

The Ambassador program connects volunteers to registered seniors for phone call conversations, helping participants feel connected during a time of isolation.

After completing online training, volunteers are asked to commit to at least one hour of phone calls a week for two months or more. Phone calls are typically 10-15 minute friendly conversations, providing participating seniors with crucial person-to-person connection.

“We know that social isolation is detrimental to our seniors,” Phillips added. “We want to make sure our volunteers are providing them with emotional support.”

Ambassador calls can be as brief as 10 minutes, but ultimately provide seniors with essential daily social interaction. Photo courtesy of Bahaa Chmait, a local eBay employee volunteer and Sourcewise Ambassador

Currently, Sourcewise provides 14 meals a week to seniors registered in their MOW program who do not have access to food.

Through these efforts, Sourcewise volunteers are supporting some of the most at-risk members of our community by providing them with the tools and support they need for their physical and mental health, while keeping safety a top priority.

Sourcewise recognizes the growing need for aid and plans to extend their volunteer programs beyond the holiday season and into 2021.

“We are going to continue as long as there’s a need to continue recruiting our ESSENTIAL volunteers for these homebound seniors,” said Phillips.

Your help is needed now. For more information on becoming a Sourcewise volunteer, go to mysourcewise.com/commitment.

It’s also not too late to volunteer for the holidays! Volunteers helping nonprofits distribute food necessities are allowed under the current stay-at-home order.

Each nonprofit organization will be able to provide information about their COVID-19 compliance policies and procedures. #SiliconValleyStrong

Sign up for a volunteer opportunity (below) or submit an application to volunteer at SV Strong: siliconvalleystrong.org/volunteer/

View the City of San José article here.

Published in The Mercury News Sunday, December 10, 2017

By Elliott Almond

Autumn’s slanting light bathes the South County hillsides in a golden glow to create a sense of tranquility at arm’s length from the bustle of Silicon Valley.

The pastoral image has drawn folks to Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy as the Bay Area’s population exploded over the past two decades. But the open spaces also can be isolating for the elderly as they begrudgingly hand over their car keys and the California tradition of independence.

“When they’re in a rural area, they become more vulnerable,” said Aneliza Del Pinal, a planner for Sourcewise, a Santa Clara County organization dedicated to improving seniors’ lives.

Driver Emily Escalante, helps Mavis Roe, 85, out of the Sourcewise van as she and Tom Bambino, 93, make their way to the Morgan Hill Senior Center.

In the past year, Sourcewise has become a lifeline for almost 50 seniors by providing free transportation Monday through Friday to Morgan Hill and Gilroy senior centers. With 11,500 area residents at least 65 years old, the San Jose-based group is trying to address a growing need that could easily be overlooked in the less populated basement of the county.

“They saved my life, really,” client Tom Bambino said of giving him mobility.

Bambino, 93, was one of four senior passengers during a recent morning ride-along in a lime green van called “Speedy Shuttle.” Good-natured driver Emily Escalante collected each commuter at their home to take them to the Morgan Hill Senior Center.

The shuttle has become part of the daily routine for the men and women who enjoy getting out of the house to spend part of the day mingling with others.

Mavis Roe, 85, left, and Larry Garner, 62, right, chat while being driven to the Morgan Hill Senior Center

“I’m going to eat, to gossip, to play games and do puzzles,” said Larry Garner, Escalante’s first pick up on this day.

Sourcewise currently has a van and a seven-seat passenger bus to ferry the elderly to the two senior centers in the morning and home in the afternoon.

The service launched in April has a waiting list of 18 seniors who want to take the shuttles. Ten more candidates are being evaluated to see if they qualify.

The need is amplified in sprawling communities lacking in city-like public transportation networks. Caltrain, for example, services South County only in the morning and evening. The Valley Transportation Authority’s light rail doesn’t extend that far south. Sourcewise executives found some people relied on taxis or long bus trips to get to the senior centers.

Wish Book readers can support the program with donations that help to pay for vehicle maintenance, drivers’ salaries and increasing the service with additional vehicles.

Transportation Specialist Emily Escalante heads out to pick-up a client in a Sourcewise van.

In a disposable society where the aging often find themselves disconnected, the seemingly simple task of transportation has potential long-term benefits.  A correlation between health and loneliness gained attention this year after Brigham Young University researchers found that social isolation increased the risk of premature death by about 30 percent. In another study, scientists reported that feeling lonely is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

The shuttle service offsets the sense of desolation in a community where bedroom housing tracts butt against farmland.

The socializing begins in the van for the four seniors who are Escalante’s regulars. The driver crisscrosses the southern edge of Coyote Valley from a mobile home park to a housing tract to Bambino’s ranch-style home along Morgan Hill’s Wine Trail.

Using a cane, Bambino ambles to the van with hearty hellos for everyone. He wears a U.S. Army veterans cap and carts along his acerbic New York humor.

Bambino owns a 2007 Cadillac but keeps his trips to the pharmacy and grocery store to a minimum.

“I try to steer clear of going out at night, in the rain and heavy traffic,” he said. “I’m not all there anymore.”

Bambino, who lives with his brother and sister-in-law, used to attend Elks Club events when he was more mobile.  The van service allows him to remain socially engaged at the seniors center, which offers a variety of activities at Centennial Recreation Center across from the city’s skate park.

Carmine Bambino appreciates the transport service because he is a full-time caregiver to his ailing wife and doesn’t have time to take his younger brother across town.

Sourcewise officials hope they can expand the program to help relieve overstressed caregivers even more. They’d like to offer transportation to medical appointments and shopping, said Rosie Jimenez, Sourcewise’s director of South County services.

Tom Bambino, 92, has his seatbelt fastened before heading to the Morgan Hill Senior Center.

The group also is investigating the possibility of a route extension to Santa Teresa light rail for seniors who use services located in the north county.

But for now, the main draw is the connectivity to the world outside of the home for Mary El Masry, 86, who never drove. Her husband, who died two years ago, did all the chauffeuring.

Living alone in Morgan Hill, El Masry was “feeling sorry for myself,” while stranded at her house.

Then she found Sourcewise.

“I’m so thrilled this service is offered because it really is a lifeline for her,” El Masry’s daughter Lorna said.

During the first visit to the senior center, El Masry breathed in the landscape and thought,  “Oh, no, I’m old but I don’t feel that old.”

Then she met other patrons and regained her sense of vibrancy. The Englishwoman stays in contact with friends and family in the United Kingdom by Skype. But too often their tales of woe bring her down.

Then she boards “Speedy Shuttle” with its neon colors and catches up with fellow passengers who enjoy the outings.

“I come here and it’s so bright,” El Marsy said of the center.

Escalante, the driver, often hears such spirited comments when making her rounds.

It never fails to bring a smile to her face.

Sourcewise’s colorful van seats seven. The organization hopes to add vehicles and drivers to expand the popular service.

View The Mercury news article here.

By Sal Pizarro

If you’ve donated to the Wish Book, the Mercury News’ holiday giving campaign, you’re already a vital part of an effort that’s helping to make our valley a better place to live. You might think that in a region known for its wealth, your donation might not make much of a dent.

But I am here to tell you that it does. You’re making a huge difference, especially where it really counts.

Last week, Sobrato Family Foundation CEO Rick Williams and Packard Foundation CEO Carol Larson talked to the San Jose Rotary Club about “The Giving Code,” the landmark report about Silicon Valley philanthropy that the Packard Foundation released last year. There have been many such discussions over the past year, with one resounding take away: Some 90 percent of Silicon Valley’s philanthropic dollars leave the region.

It’s a stunning statistic. Currently, there are more than 76,000 millionaires and billionaires living in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, according to the report. And, despite the region’s storied wealth and and overall increase in giving, many of those dollars are used to champion humanitarian causes around the globe or to support faraway places and institutions that are important to the valley’s success stories.

That’s not a bad thing in itself. But, as Larson pointed out, that wasn’t David Packard‘s philosophy and it’s not John A. Sobrato‘s, either. She summed up their viewpoint like this: “If you live here, you give here. If you work here, you give here.”

And that’s what Wish Book readers have been doing, donating more than $9 million since the program started in 1983. This year, in less than two weeks since the Wish Book campaign launched on Thanksgiving morning, readers have donated nearly $70,000 to make some of the wishes our reporters have written about turn into realities.

But there’s still a long way to go, and many more stories to share.

In the coming days and weeks through the end of the year, we’ll present more stories about our friends and neighbors who need help and the agencies that are working to support them. You’ll read about Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley’s efforts to repair more than four dozen homes at the South Bay Mobile Home Park that were damaged by February’s devastating Coyote Creek flood. We’ll tell you about Sourcewise, a San Jose-based group that has become a lifeline for seniors in the South County area by providing free transportation to senior centers in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. And you’ll discover how My New Red Shoes, a non-profit in Redwood City, is helping improve the lives and self-esteem of low-income families with new clothes, something many of us take for granted.

You can read more of these stories at wishbook.mercurynews.com, where you can also make a tax-deductible donation and make a wish come true.

There are certainly people and foundations in Silicon Valley that could put us over our goal in an instant — and, hey, we’d welcome them to do so. But, in reflecting on the lessons of “The Giving Code,” there’s a value in creating an entire community of givers. We live here, we work here, we should give here, too.

Everybody can make a difference, and, together, that difference can be huge.

View the original Mercury News article here.

By Staff report

Seniors in South County have a new way of getting around with the launch of Sourcewise’s “Sourcewise Transit Service,” a free transportation service that will provide connections to the senior centers in Morgan Hill and Gilroy.

According to Sourcewsie, there are an estimated 11,574 South County residents who are aged 65 and older. Sourcewise Transit Service operates Monday through Friday in San Martin, Gilroy and Morgan Hill.

At the heart of the Sourcewise Transit Service is a 2017 Starcraft Bus, with installed wheelchair lift capacity built by American with Disabilities Act industry specialists. Sourcewise provides door-to-door transportation service, to and from senior centers, and accepts unlimited transportation requests from seniors, according to the press release.

The transportation concept was developed in 2016 after Sourcewise hosted a public hearing in Gilroy to present its 2016-2020 Area Plan on Aging—a needs assessment conducted in Santa Clara County every four years. The need for better transportation to local senior centers was a common thread among the feedback received from both Gilroy and Morgan Hill senior residents.

Based largely on the voices of the community, Sourcewise began piloting its transportation service called “Speedy Shuttle.” The pilot quickly became a highly-demanded service, providing 562 one-way rides in its first three months of operation. Sourcewise receives federal funding from the Older Americans Act of 1965, which was passed by Congress in response to concern about a lack of community social services for older persons.

With the added capacity of the transit service bus, the Sourcewise South County office is positioned to double its transportation service.

“Sourcewise strives to find innovative solutions that benefit our clients and support freedom of individual choice and independence,” said Manuel Altamirano, Chief Operating Officer of Sourcewise. “The Sourcewise Transit Service creates greater access for frail and isolated seniors who otherwise may not be able to leave their home.”

Future plans to expand the Sourcewise Transit Service include door-to-door rides for doctors’ appointments as well as new route extensions to Santa Teresa light rail, the connection to North Valley.

Sourcewise is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving seniors, families, and their caregivers in Santa Clara County for the past 43 years.

Anyone interested in learning more about Sourcewise programs and services can visit mysourcewise.com. For information on the Sourcewise Transit Service or to request a ride, call Sourcewise South County office: (408) 762-7362.

If anyone is interested in supporting the Sourcewise Transit Service, they may make a donation directly to Sourcewise, citing “Sourcewise Transit Service” in the memo line. All donations can be mailed to the Morgan Hill Office: 16340 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.

View Morgan Hill Times article here.

By Kimberly Ewertz, Contributor

Though the economy is improving, unemployment is still prevalent. If you are 55 or older, the prospect of finding a job can be quite challenging, but there is hope.

San Martin resident Dolly Poso, 55, experienced first-hand just how difficult securing a job can be for older workers. “I had been looking, but I was competing with 20 year olds,” Poso said, adding, “I’d find myself in this room with five other Barbie dolls, and think they’re not going to hire me.”

After a four-month search and six in-person interviews, Poso remained unemployed. “What was the most hurtful, actually, was I didn’t even get a call back saying we don’t want you.” That all changed when she met an older couple that experienced the same difficulty securing employment. They suggested she give Sourcewise Senior Employment Services a try. “I thought, what a great idea, I need the help, I’m calling,” said Poso.

After contacting the Morgan Hill branch, Poso was referred to the Sourcewise San Jose headquarters, where she enrolled in the program. It’s there that she met Sourcewise Senior Employment and Meals on Wheels director Henri Villalovoz, who explained that the Sourcewise program is a part of the Senior Community Service Employment Program, a community service and work-based job-training program for older Americans, authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act.

The program provides training for low-income, unemployed seniors, and a transition path to unsubsidized employment (work that provides the worker earnings directly from the employer). “You help people, so when you go home in the evenings, you always feel fulfilled, “Villalovoz said. Both South County Sourcewise offices support Santa Clara County’s low-income, unemployed seniors by providing personalized career counseling and two types of job training.

The first is a 30-day, 22-session, home care classroom course taught by a registered nurse, a CPR instructor, and a certified first aid technician.

Upon completion of the class the attendees receive CPR and first aid certificates from the state, in addition to a Sourcewise certificate of completion. Villalovoz said that home care companies are very interested in recruiting Sourcewise graduates. “We have at least an 85 percent placement rate,” Villalovoz said.

The second option, and the one Poso chose, is an on-the-job training program with Host Training Agencies, which provides workers to 20 or more community-based organizations including Heart of Silicon Valley for Seniors, Second Harvest Food Bank, and work2future Foundation.

Sourcewise’s agreement with these organizations provides supervised on-the-job training and mentoring to the Sourcewise trainees.

Trainees work 16 hours per week at the host agency for minimum wage, which is paid by Sourcewise. This provides them the opportunity to reenter the workforce and refresh their job skills, while continuing to search for full-time employment.

“That’s part of the program, to keep active and continue looking, and keep your resume updated, and keep sharpening your skills, and try and learn anywhere you can,” Poso said.

“They gain their confidence and some contemporary job skills,” Villalovoz said, adding that it “hopefully leads the individual to gain the skills that will afford them an unsubsidized job. That’s my ultimate goal, to get them a job.”

It worked out that way for Poso.

“It gave me hope, because I felt just kind of like defeated. I was thinking, I don’t stand a chance.”

One week after signing up with Sourcewise, Poso was sent to the Gilroy office of Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC), where she works four hours a day, four days a week assisting her boss, Marysue DiTullio, 67, satellite services coordinator of SVILC.

Di Tullio is also a past participant in the Sourcewise on-the-job training program.

Nine years ago, after being laid off from her administrative assistant position, Di Tullio discovered Sourcewise through a small advertisement in the Penny Saver magazine.

Soon after she signed up for the program, Di Tullio was sent to the San Jose office of SVILC where she worked as an on-the-job trainee for a little over a year before being offered a full-time position with the organization she’d grow to love.

“This was a new filed completely, and the more I got to know about it, and what we did, I felt that it was very meaningful work, and something I wanted to continue to do,” Di Tullio said.

Di Tullio was sent to Gilroy to head up SVILC’s office seven years ago. “It really worked out, just answering that ad,” she said. “I think that Sourcewise is a really, really, good source, because they really give you an opportunity, and I think if you make it, if you have the skills and you continue to hone your skills, or to really focus in on what you’re good at, you can [succeed].”

Villalovoz believes that for unemployed seniors who feel there’s no place in the workforce for them at this stage of their lives, Sourcewise Senior Employment Services restores their confidence and provides hope that securing a job is still an option. “We’re all option counselors, we’re going to give them all these options and have them make their wise decision according to their needs,” Villalovoz said. “Everyone needs to know about Sourcewise,” Poso said.

“God willing, we’re all going to become seniors, I’ve already made it, but nobody prepares you for that little threshold, you just get kind of shot out there, and suddenly nobody wants you.”

For more information about Sourcewise Senior Employment Services, call (408) 350-3221, or visit: mysourcewise.com/.

The Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce staff, ambassadors and board members joined Mayor Steve Tate and representatives from Sourcewise for a ribbon-cutting for the newly opened business.

• Sourcewise collaborates with Santa Clara County, state and local networks to provide a streamlined approach to service and support systems for seniors. They empower individuals by providing access to information, allowing for personal choices and continued independence. They strive to create a community-based system of care that crosses city boundaries, income levels, geography and special interests.
• Sourcewise is located at 16340 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill. Contact them at a (408) 762-7362 or visit www.mysourcewise.com.

View Morgan Hill Life article here.