Easter Seals outreach program supports families

Caring for an aging parent can be daunting, especially for someone taking on the task alone, like Hope. She is caring for her 72-year-old mother who is no longer able to leave the house. Since Hope found the many programs within the Easter Seals Community Outreach Program, she no longer feels she is facing the challenges alone.

“Easter Seals is my go-to place for help, like Amazon is for shopping,” Hope says. “I get more help from Easter Seals than any other agency I’ve called.”

Respite caregiving is an option through the Delaware Lifespan Respite Care Network, which provides funds to support family caregivers providing care to a person of any age or disability. Hope is thankful to receive these funds.

“The respite funds free me up to be able to have time by myself to go to the library or movies. It gives me ‘me’ time,” Hope says.

Like many others, Hope has taken advantage of the Caregiver and Assistive Technology Resource Center. Partially funded through the Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities, Easter Seals has a case manager on site every day to provide information, resources and support to family caregivers across all ages and all disabilities.

One of the more unique aspects about Easter Seals Resource Center is the focus on assistive technology. In the Technology Demonstration Center, hundreds of pieces of assistive technology that promote independence and quality of life are on display.  A virtual tour of the Technology Demonstration Center can be found at www.de.easterseals.com/resources.

“I wish more people knew Easter Seals is available for older people. I wish more people would realize you could just walk in. Sometimes I just drop by to see everything in the Resource Center that might be of help to me or my mother,” says Hope.

Through the Alternative Financing program, Easter Seals assists Delawareans in securing lower-interest loans to purchase assistive technology or make modifications for accessibility. The program is a partnership with Delaware’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and allows people with disabilities, or their caregivers, to purchase assistive technology.

For more information about any of the services provided through the Community Outreach Program, contact Joyce Medkeff at 302-221-2076 or resources@esdel.org.

To learn more about how Easter Seals helps children and adults with disabilities, call 1-800-677- 3800 or visit www.de.easterseals.com.