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Resource center for seniors, disabled open in Hilo

MEDIA RELEASE

Hilo is among the first communities in the United States to have a nationally recognized model for centralized services, the Aging and Disability Resource Center in Hilo.

The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is designed to be a one-stop center for finding information on services for seniors and disabled community.

The vision of former-Mayor Harry Kim was for seniors and their families to have a one-stop shop for information and resources on caring for yourself or a loved one.

The center, at the renovated Sun Sun Lau building on Kinoole Street, aims to cut through the maze of searching for information and eases access to these resources.

The ADRC brings together several county and private programs serving seniors and individuals with disabilities: the county Office of Aging, Coordinated Services for the Elderly, county Nutrition Program, Senior Training and Employment Program, Services for Seniors, Alzheimer’s Association, and the ARC of Hilo.

“I have always known the important role our county plays in the provision of services to our island’s kupuna and family caregivers, but the full impact was not realized until a few years ago when I myself came face-to-face with the challenges of being a family caregiver,” Kim said.

Kim said he was taken aback during a conversation one day in 2005 with Gordon Furutani, who leads the federal HUD office in Hawaii. Furutani was struggling with the same issues of caregiving for an elderly loved one as Kim.

“He was tied up in knots on where to go to ask for help,” Kim said. “If someone like Gordon Furutani was having a difficult time navigating the maze of services and options, what about the average individual who may not be as well-informed?”

In early 2005, Kim directed the Office of Aging to pursue establishment of a resource center for caregivers and seniors capable of providing information and counseling on long term care issues.

He wanted a non-threatening, welcoming environment where any caregiver or senior, regardless of income and/or background, would feel comfortable going to for needed assistance, information and training.

“I wanted these individuals taken by the hand and walked through the system,” Kim said.

Three years later, the new Aging and Disability Resource Center includes more than a dozen agencies and programs with an additional 30 services accessible on-site.

The center is staffed by professional individuals with many years of experience to provide information and counseling to help people navigate the maze of available options so informed decisions can be made.

The Information & Assistance/Options Counselor is a registered nurse with more than 15 years of case management experience.

The ADRC Coordinator has 35 years of experience as a professional social worker in the area of developmental disabilities. as well as recent consultant work with long term care facilities, and the Caregiver Resource Specialist has 30 years of experience in the aging and disabilities arenas.
Certified AIRS (Alliance of Information & Referral Services) Community Services Program Assistants with the Coordinated Services for Elderly Program will add to this resource base along with county Office of Aging planners.

Also, ARC of Hilo provides a staff person for provision of information and assistance for the physically disabled.

Services for Seniors, a case management agency, is available for consultation on long-term care issues. Having the state Department of Human Services on the second floor adds to the effectiveness of the facility in terms of long term care options, services, and coordination.

The intake, assessment, care plan development, service authorization, and case management functions will be coordinated by the Office of Aging with the goal of streamlining and improving access to and coordination of needed services.

The long term vision includes satellite ADRC’s in Honokaa and Kailua-Kona and utilization of video conferencing technology to connect the ADRC’s with all districts on the island.

— Find out more:
Aging and Disability Resource Center: 961-8626

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