SUN CITY: Nonprofit group helps seniors remain independent

Sun City Concern offers in-home assessments, referrals, daily check-in calls

By CATHY REDFERN - Staff Writer | Thursday, November 27, 2008 8:26 PM PST ∞

SUN CITY ---- If the handful of people who run Sun City Concern had their way, there would be no senior citizens living alone without someone to check in on them and make sure they are well.

And that's exactly what the nonprofit group does for its 100 or so clients, said Jean Pellicciotti, a board member and the group's acting director.

Sun City Concern was formed 34 years ago with the mission of helping senior citizens stay in their own homes as long as possible, she said.

To that end, the group's four part-time employees ---- all seniors ---- spend a lot of time fielding calls, giving referrals and making sure people get the services they need, Pellicciotti said.

Most of the organization's $52,000 budget comes from Wednesday afternoon bingo games at the Kay Ceniceros Senior Center.

Though the budget is small, they have a large list of people and agencies who provide things such as home repair, companionship, insurance and in-home meals, she said.

In a crucial part of their service, many times they send an outreach worker to a person's home to assess what services would best suit them.

They also have a list of seniors who live alone whom they call to check in on daily, Pellicciotti said, adding that the group could use more volunteers to help out with the telephone reassurance program.

One of the organization's two outreach workers, Sue Lishey, said many of the cases that prompt her to visit come from neighbors who are worried about someone who lives alone and doesn't seem to be doing well. Or a call might come to check on the spouse of an Alzheimer's patient who needs help caring for their husband or wife, she said. Others come from social workers who are concerned about a patient recently discharged from an area hospital.

Lishey, a 70-year-old Sun City resident, is a licensed vocational nurse who worked in the mental health field for several years.

These days, many of her clients are women in their 80s who have outlived spouses and children, she said. But one is a man nearing 80 who lost his wife and is worried about what will happen to his disabled son if he becomes unable to care for him, she said.

"This is the kind of thing seniors deal with," Lishey said. "They are a unique population in that they have survived so many incidents in life and with that comes a need to protect themselves. I think that's a lonely place to be, and it takes resources to survive."

One recent client who had come home after being hospitalized did not realize the extent of veteran's benefits available to her after serving 34 years in the Navy, Lishey said. Because the woman was ill, Lishey said, she contacted the Veteran's Administration for her. The woman also needed work done on her home, so Lishey contacted officials with a county Economic Development Agency program that provides that service for qualifying seniors.

Next, she said, was a call to a senior companion program, for an independent client who was not a social butterfly.

"I told them I would need someone with experience in relationships, to soften her up a bit," she said.

Lishey said it's almost like working in a crisis center, as she never knows what she is going to come across her desk.

"My function is to have a lot of resources and sometimes I get cases where I just have to say, 'OK, where do I start?'" she said. "The home visits are very important, to see someone face-to-face, and then I just try to do whatever it takes to pull people together and reduce their anxiety level."

It's good to see people become less isolated, Lishey said.

"So many look at Sun City Concern as their No. 1 outside contact," she said. "They have someone to look out for them and someone to call, someone who will really answer."

Some of the situations she encounters are easy, Lishey said, laughing as she remembered a recent call from a woman who wanted to know where she could watch an Oscar De La Hoya fight.

"I gave her the number to the Ponderosa," she said.

Charlotte Tully, an 87-year-old Sun City resident, said Lishey helps her in many ways. Recently, Tully added, she filled out some forms for her related to utility and rental assistance.

"I just call and she comes when I need her," Tully said. "I'm so grateful for that; they've just been so wonderful."

Pellicciotti, the director, said she thinks the group offers a fantastic service, which is why she offered to serve as a volunteer director a few months ago when the former director resigned.

Many residents are in need of help, or just a visit, Pellicciotti said.

"When you don't feel well, you tend to isolate yourself," she said. "I think that is one of the hardest things to do; to give up control over your life."

The five seniors who work part-time at Sun City Concern are living proof of one of the group's tenants ---- that getting out into the community and helping others makes for a richer and more rewarding life.

Pellicciotti, 72, said she was diagnosed with breast cancer in December and shared that news with people at the Wednesday afternoon bingo game that she helps run, not knowing how much help she might need to run the game.

"I got such wonderful support from that group," she said. "It made a huge difference in how I felt about my diagnosis. When you volunteer, you get so much more in return."

Reach Sun City Concern at (951) 679-2374.

Contact staff writer Cathy Redfern at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2621, or e-mail credfern@californian.com.