After struggling with homelessness for over a decade, experiencing high levels of anxiety, and relying primarily on a wheelchair to move around, 70-year-old Linda Meyer found assistance through Partners in Care Foundation’s Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) Program.
The ALW program is apart of the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver program that makes affordable housing, with personal and health-related services, available to eligible seniors and persons with disabilities throughout California. The goal is to offer these individuals, who reside in the community but are at risk of being institutionalized, the option of utilizing ALW services to develop a program that will safely meet their care needs while continuing to live in a community home-like setting.
Linda was living in a skilled nursing facility in Riverside when she was referred to the ALW Program in 2020 by the Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. She was grateful to obtain residency at an Assisted Living Facility and found comfort in a one-bedroom space. Previously, as a person without housing, she had nothing more than a storage facility to hold her personal belongings. Through the ALW program, Partners hired a maintenance team to assist Linda with emptying her storage facility and moved her belongings to the Assisted Living Facility. Without this monthly storage facility fee, Linda has more room in her fixed-income budget for other necessities and can now save money for her future needs.
Other care coordination services provided by Partners’ Assisted Living Waiver Program included conducting assessments, on-going case management, and monthly visits to ensure Linda received the services and care she needs. Partners arranged for Linda to receive assistance with instrumental activities of daily living such as toileting, home-delivered meals, and skilled nursing services as needed. Additionally, Partners’ care coordinators made sure that Linda had N95 masks and sanitation supplies to stay safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Linda has not had a place to call home in the past 10 years. Now through the ALW Program, she has found security living in her community, knowing she has a home and the help she needs to live happily and safely on her own.
