Dear Friends,

March is Social Work Month so in recognition of that I thought I would share some of the important and often behind-the-scenes work our Social Workers do for the residents of the cities we serve.

CPA Social Workers provide information about resources and referrals as well as counseling to older adults and family members who need assistance on a variety of issues.  This can be anything from  home health care needs, Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security information and assistance; registering clients for transportation, Meals on Wheels, and the Safe at Home Program and more, all with the intention of helping those older adults safe, independent and at home for as long as they wish.  "Social workers are unique among health care providers because they are trained to address and manage the complexities of each client’s situation, taking into account how physical, psychological, and socioeconomic factors interact in ways that can impact all aspects of a person’s life and health."  The work CPA Social Workers do may vary from a hospital or hospice social worker, but the work is important nonetheless. 

Here is a snapshot in numbers from 2022:

• 855 Social Work client 'hours' (time spent offering resources and referrals.  The average length of time is about one hour but may be less or even more, depending on the need);
• Ratio of clients to Social Workers:  308:1;
• At approximately $35/hour, this means that CPA saved clients and their families nearly $30,000 in 2022.
• Social Work is a value-added component to the services we provide to our residents so there are no fees for working with one of our Social Workers!

Until next time,

Therese 

Therese Grida
Development Coordinator 
Community Partnership on Aging
216-291-0772

Here are this week's fortune cookie fortunes courtesy of my Fortune Cookie Fairy!  Thank you, Mary!

In case you want to watch it again: