Quotes from clients:

“Project LIVELY helped me maintain my independence.”

“I didn’t know who else to turn to and felt lost and overwhelmed. Project LIVELY helped me tremendously. Their help gave me the desire to go on with my life.”

“I had bills mounting, I was going to lose my home and I couldn’t afford my medications. I didn’t know who could help. Project LIVELY helped me find the services to help me with all these problems. Without them, I don’t know what I would have done.”


life, interest and vigor

Upon meeting Herman Morgan, one can see that he embodies what Project LIVELY stands for ­— “Life, Interest and Vigor Entering Later Years.” The 91-year-old has been a client in the program for five years, which coordinates the help older adults need to remain in their homes as long as possible.

“Getting old isn’t easy and you need help sometimes,” Herman said.

When Herman first entered Project LIVELY in 2006, he was the primary caregiver for his wife, Elenor. Multiple health issues forced her to go into a nursing home, which has been difficult for both of them, but having the help of Project LIVELY’s care managers made the transition easier.

Care managers also connected him with Meals on Wheels when he was caring for Elenor — a service he has since renewed to better balance his diet.

“(You) get an old man that doesn’t know how to cook, you start pressing the button on the microwave and you start getting in trouble,” he jokes.

Project LIVELY also set him up with an emergency cell phone, assisted with education on Medicare- Part D, connected him with housekeeping services, tax help, physical therapy and dental care.

“(The care managers) have been very good to me and I have been very satisfied,” he said. “Anything I’ve ever mentioned that they could help me with, they have.”



SUPPORTING THE SENIOR, SUPPORTING THE CAREGIVER

When her mother’s health declined suddenly after entering a nursing home, Sally Burger knew she had to do something.
Her mother, Eleanor Burden, who was admitted after a fall, lived at the home for a year.

“That was about six months longer than I felt comfortable with,” Sally says.

After making the decision to care for her mother, no one thought the Burgers could handle Eleanor’s care. But they have – for the past five years.

Sally says her mother’s health and quality of life improved dramatically once she and her husband, Doug, became Eleanor’s caregivers. Since then, the family hasn’t looked back. 

“I used to have to take Mom to the doctor every three months,” Sally says. “When she first moved here, I think she was on 10 medications, morning and night. And I think I’ve got her down to about four now.”

Project LIVELY, a care management program, not only helps seniors over 60 maintain their independence to remain in their homes, but also supports caregivers. The program’s social workers connected the family to resources, such as a physical therapy program and home health agencies that helped the Burgers convert their split-level ranch home into a place comfortable for a disabled person.

Eleanor’s bedroom looks nothing like a hospital room, with a cozy floral quilt on the bed, lace curtains and family photos surrounding her.

“Whenever Sally’s had a question, Project LIVELY’s always been there with ideas, with suggestions, with answers and even more important, just the friendship,” Doug says.

Click here to learn more about Project LIVELY >>