Conclusions

Consideration to design and some assistance with household chores can help many seniors to remain independent in their own homes. To find out more about programs designed to help seniors live at home as long as possible, contact your area Office for Aging Services, or your local senior center.

Expert: Elaine Santore

Many people think about pursuing a career that will allow them the opportunity to help others in their community. Usually something inside them convinces them that they are not ready to make the change happen and as a result nothing happens and things stay more or less the same.

This was not the case with Elaine Santore. As a founder of Umbrella of the Capital District, a nonprofit organization serving over 500 seniors and people with disabilities, this was a career choice that professionally she felt uncertain about. However, after a personal experience of trying to keep a loved one in their home, she found out helping seniors to remain independent was not an easy thing to accomplish. She also learned she was not alone. There were many people with the same struggle. Here was a gap that needed to be filled.

In 1995 after training as fashion illustrator and working in the field of graphic arts for more than a decade, she set out to start an organization that would help senior citizens and people with disabilities continue to live independently. With out any professional experience in the field of elder care, she dedicated herself to establishing Umbrella, an organization that today serves more than 500 households throughout the Capital District of New York.

A past president of Business Professional Women of Schenectady (BPW), a 75 year old organization whose mission is "to achieve equity for all woman in the workplace through advocacy, education and information", Elaine served as a production assistant on numerous documentaries and public service announcements aimed at educating the general public about the benefits of including persons with disabilities in the mainstream of society. In addition she was a founder and director of Exceptional Artworks, the largest annual art exhibition by artists with mental retardation and developmental disabilities held in the Northeastern United States from 1989 through 1991.

A few points to consider for those who wish to remain in their home:

• It is essential to plan ahead.
• Find out what you will need to remain independent in your home, and make the necessary modifications as soon as possible.
• Reach out to your community services for help, and don't be afraid to ask questions.