Increasing demand for resources to support at-risk Arlington seniors is putting an Arlington County resource hub to the test.
To keep up with an increasing workload, staff at the county’s Aging & Disability Resource Center have stopped seeing clients one day each week to catch up on administrative tasks. As clients with more complex needs require more resources, leadership at the resource center is calling for more staffing at every level.
“We want to be able to provide great service to our clients, to work their cases from start to finish,” Tené Young, who heads the resource center, said at a July 21 meeting of the Commission on Aging. “To do this, we definitely need more staff.”
Those using the resource center and its associated Benefits Enrollment Center come seeking support on matters ranging from shelter, health care and short-term financial assistance to navigating the application process for federal and state benefits.
“In the past, a lot of our meeting times [with seniors] were from 20 to 30 minutes — on a very critical case, 40 minutes,” said Young, who assumed the post last December. “Now we’re meeting with clients anywhere from 40 minutes to 90 minutes, just because of the nature of the support that’s needed.”
Some of those individuals face particularly challenging circumstances, she said.
“We have had clients who had simply been dropped off in a hospital gown, not able to even really tell us where they’re from,” Young told commission members.
To keep up with the workload, staff has stopped seeing clients on Fridays. That gives them the opportunity to catch up on paperwork and other administrative tasks while focusing on individuals from Mondays to Thursdays.
A record $200 million in county-government spending budgeted for human services in the current fiscal year may not keep pace with overall demand for services. To ease pressure on the system, Young asked social-safety-net advocates to support additional paid personnel along with boosting the number of volunteers and interns.
William Way, who chairs the Commission on Aging, said the panel stands behind efforts to support vulnerable seniors and others in need.
“All of Arlington, especially those with the greatest social and economic needs, really benefit” from the effort, he said.
The Benefits Enrollment Center initiative is part of a partnership between local affiliates and the Arlington-based National Council on Aging. People who are age 60 and older, or who have disabilities, can meet with specialists to determine benefits they are eligible for.
Staff check eligibility for a variety of services, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Medicare Savings Programs, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Part D Low-Income Subsidy (Extra Help).
They also check to see eligibility for programs offered by drug manufacturers to provide lower-cost medications, and look for programs designed to lower the cost of utilities.
Information on nutrition programs, transit options and other community resources also is available, as are referrals to providers of mental-health support.
Seniors are among the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population, according to the National Council on Aging. More than 11,000 Americans are turning 65 each day through 2027, as the last wave of postwar Baby Boomers begin to hit retirement age.
