Testimonials

Our Stories of Elderbridge Agency on Aging Clients

Elderbridge Agency on Aging Options Counselors are friendly and caring. They are here to help individuals make the best choice for long-term care support and services. Options Counselors have the most up-to-date information about what resources are available and how to access those services.

Options Counselors can also help with a variety of topics related to financial and family concerns.

 

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Here is a trio of testimonials to attest to the help of Elderbridge Agency on Aging provided three people who just needed a hand when the hand they were dealt came up short.

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Sharon's story

It’s a situation many seniors find themselves in. Money for food too often goes for prescriptions or to pay medical bills...

Sharon's story

It’s a situation many seniors find themselves in. Money for food too often goes for prescriptions or to pay medical bills.

Sharon knew of Elderbridge Agency on Aging from the time her mother needed help 18 years ago. Now, nearly two decades later, Sharon found that she was the one who might need a hand, or at least some advice on how to cope with mounting medical bills and a dwindling food budget.

Sharon saw an article about LifeLong Links in Renaissance, the monthly Elderbridge newsletter and called right away. An Elderbridge Options Counselor talked to Sharon and figured out a course of action that ended up making big, positive changes in her quality of life.

Elderbridge's Options Counselor showed Sharon how to get assistance through a Medicare program known as QMB (Qualified Medicare Beneficiary). She met the income guidelines and now her medical bills are paid and there’s more money left in her Social Security check each month.

Sharon also learned about the "Share Program" for grocery assistance by contacting Kim through LifeLong Links saying “I didn’t even know this program existed and it has helped me tremendously! Kim was also able to get me $30 food vouchers for Farmers Market and that helps me a lot also.”

Sharon even got legal help through LifeLong Links and Elderbridge's Option Counselor.  The Options Counselor put her in touch with Iowa Legal Aid and now Sharon’s daughter is listed as having her Power of Attorney.

The program to help Sharon was there all along. She just needed to know where to turn and to make the call. Now thanks to LifeLong Links and Elderbridge Options Counselor, Sharon can eat better by having more money to buy the groceries that she needs for a healthy life.

As a senior, Sharon knew that Elderbridge was a place to turn for help. But Elderbridge is also devoted to assisting Iowa adults who are physically or mentally challenged. Sharon was one such person.

  • Name was changed for privacy reasons. 
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Brenda’s story

Brenda is a 67 year old disabled woman. Three times a week she gets Meals on Wheels delivered to her home...

6Brenda's story

Brenda is a 67-year-old disabled woman. Three times a week she gets Meals on Wheels delivered to her home. One day, when the Meals on Wheels deliveryman saw her, Brenda looked very pale and weak. Knowing that she was unable to pay for the meals and worried about her, the driver contacted Elderbridge.

Brenda had been on Medicaid and SSI for many years after a severe injury as a teenager. With only a $780 income each month, she had fallen behind on her water and electric bills. When an Elderbridge Options Counselor spoke with her, it was learned that Brenda needed assistance, not only financially, but also with food and medical attention.

Through Elderbridge, Options Counselors were able to find doctors for Brenda, get help with her bills, and had her enter into an agreement for a care plan for long-term assistance.

“I was excited when I got the call from an Elderbridge Options Counselor. Having the help has been a Godsend for me” according to Brenda who has now agreed to do even more for herself. Brenda says she will be making regular visits to her doctor and will go to the food bank for additional meals to keep her nutrition up. “Having my bills paid and food in the house has made my life easier for me. I appreciated all the help that I have received.”

Through Elderbridge Brenda now gets help from paratransit, in-home services, a local church and Care Coordinators. Once she meets the goals from her care plan, Brenda should be better able to manage her to live independently.

*Names have been changed for privacy reasons.

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Brian’s story

Brian is 68 years old and recently lost his job. In his former position, Brian had been driving 70 miles to work...

Brians’s story

Brian is 68 years old and recently lost his job. In his former position, Brian had been driving 70 miles to work and back each day and was being paid only $9 an hour as a bus driver. After that happened his only income was his Social Security check of $900 per month.

Brian came to Elderbridge Agency on Aging to ask for help. With no paycheck coming in, Joseph couldn’t pay his electric or water bills. After an interview with a LifeLong Links Service Specialist it was discovered, that Joseph was working with AARP at Iowa Works to find another job. Now, with  the assistance from everyone involved, Brian was able to pay his utility bill in full and get a little cushion by paying ahead.

Spring is here and that means the heating bill will be going down. Good news for Brian who also learned he will now get unemployment assistance until he finds another job.

While the help through Elderbridge may not be a long-term solution for Brian, it gave him time to recover and the needed boost to get back on his feet and regain his independent life.

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Sharon, Brenda, and Brian are just three of hundreds of people who have been helped by Elderbridge Agency on Aging in Iowa. If you think you know someone or that you yourself might need help to keep or restore the ability to live safely at home, please call 800-243-0678.