Hands to Help Seniors

The Monterey County Crime Prevention Officers Association is gathering items for its 16th annual toy drive.  If you can help, please consider dropping off a toy at one of the following locations:

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If you are in need of a medical assistance device, the Alliance on Aging has pointed out that Episcopal Senior Services has a program in place whereby they will loan out an array of supportive devices at no charge (they also seek donations).  Please call Laura Medina at 424-0911 for more information in either English or Spanish.

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Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.  Charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world are coming together today for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.  It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join us and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.  Please give to Hands to Help Seniors and any other non-profit that strikes your fancy.

I want to give you an update about our great company.  We are proud to have raised over $40,000 so far this year and we have no paid employees so almost all of our funds go directly to senior citizens in need. We are participating this year in the Monterey Peninsula Foundation's Charity Match (formerly known as Birdies For Charity) fundraiser.  It's a great way to get more bang for your charitable buck as they are doing matching donations.  To support us, you can click here:

https://events.r2it.com/birdies/DefaultPage/CharityMatch/Default.aspx?site=MontereyPeninsulaFoundation&siteId=79 or mail a check (payable to the Monterey Peninsula Foundation) to:

Hands to Help Seniors Charity Match

c/o Monterey Peninsula Foundation

1 Lower Ragsdale Drive, Building 3, Suite 100

Monterey, CA  93940

For some background, Richard Kuehn founded Family inHome Caregiving, which is a private duty caregiving company in Carmel with over 50 employees, approximately five years ago.  He was inspired to do this after being frustrated by the quality of care he had seen from other companies.  He rescued his grandmother, then 92 years old, from a nursing home which was both physically and financially abusing her.  She was unable to walk and in poor health because the nursing home had been sedating her and she was very sedentary.  He took her into his home, and nursed her back to health where she became an active member of the community and enjoyed her life until she passed away fouryears ago, a month before her 98^th birthday. 

            Nana had Alzheimer’s disease and Richard's company now focuses on these hard to treat patients and also became involved in fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Association in Monterey.  The company was proud to have raised over $60,000 for them.  But Richard wanted to do more for impoverished seniors.    

The founding of the non-profit was a culmination of Richard's work with clients at Family inHome Caregiving (he is a hands-on owner and often does caregiving himself), and dealing with the many non-profits here trying to serve senior citizens in the wake of continued state and federal budget cuts.  It’s heart breaking to talk to seniors who can’t afford the basics like medical care, food and gas, let alone what many people feel are added extras like hiring a private duty caregiver for basic hygiene and food preparation. 

Richard's frustration on many fronts led him to believe that there was a need for a one-stop company that a senior in financial need could go to for anything which would allow them to remain independent in their own home.  Many seniors are afraid to go into an assisted living facility or skilled nursing care facility and would prefer to live at home. 

Today, we are helping myriad senior citizens with everything from dental work, to home maintenance to helping with medical expenses.  We hope you believe that this is a worthwhile cause and will help us fulfill our mission.

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The holidays are upon us and there is no shortage of the hungry.  Thankfully, there are plenty of food drives going on .  The Gateway Center Girl Scouts Troup 850 are holding a food drive of non-perishable items from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays through December 12.  If you would like to help them, you can stop by at either:

850 Congress Avenue in Pacific Grove (372-8002x221)

or:

408 Salinas Street, Salinas (422-3999)

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Decades after returning from war, many veterans are seeking help from the Veterans Administration, which is still reeling from its own management and staff shortage problems.  More than half a million veterans received treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the VA through March of this year, nearly double the number of all cases through 2006.  Most of them are older Vietnam vets, many of them in their 60’s and 70’s.  The aging process itself can trigger PTSD so many of these Veterans have been living a normal life until recently.  However, as you age, friends and family drift away or pass away, which can cause loneliness to set in and cause feelings of depression and anxiety.  If you’re in this situation, contact your local Veterans Administration for help.     

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