New one-stop shop for seniors, disabled to open
Article reprinted courtesy of the Hawaii Tribune-Herald - (hawaiitribune-herald.com)
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 10:59 AM HST
by BRET YAGER
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer
Hilo is getting ready to take the wrapping off a new center for seniors and the disabled.
Nine agencies offering more than 30 different services are currently scattered around Hilo, but soon they'll all be available for one-stop shopping at the renovated Sun Sun Lao building.
The new Aging and Disability Resource Center will be a relief for seniors, disabled persons and their caregivers trying to navigate the maze of services available to them. It'll also allow cramped agencies to get into more spacious quarters.
"Right now, there's not even a place for seniors to sit down when they visit us; three staff are all in one office. It'll be really nice for us to be able to have a place to work," said Alan Parker, director of the county Office of Aging, which is currently divided between the first and third floor of the Hilo Lagoon Center.
The county has a 10-year lease on the Kinoole Street property, with two five-year options to extend that arrangement. Parker said he's not sure which agencies, including his own, will actually be able to move in before the Nov. 14 grand opening and blessing.
That's because workers are still finishing the electrical and communication wiring. But the staff of the different agencies are gearing up for the transition and have held extensive meetings on how they'll all coordinate once they're in the building, Parker said.
"It's not going to be fully operational on the 14th, but we wanted to do the opening and blessing before the mayor leaves office," Parker said.
Mayor Harry Kim spearheaded the effort to build the center in 2005 following experiences with his own family and friends about the difficulties that seniors and caregivers have finding the services they need.
The building will shelter the Hawaii County Office of Aging, the State Department of Human Services Adult Community Care Services Section, ARC of Hilo, Services for Seniors, the Hawaii County Nutrition Program, the Coordinated Services for the Elderly Program, the Senior Employment and Training Program, the DOH Adult Case Management Program, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and the Alzheimer's Association.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy will also provide a pharmacist to help seniors manage their medications for maximum safety and effectiveness. The pharmacist will work for two to four hours one day a week, to start. That will eventually ramp up to five days a week, with staff increasing to include a geriatric pharmacist and pharmacy students in the 2009-10 school year. The center will also have a resource library for seniors and the disabled.
A lease to allow the State Department of Human Services Adult Community Care Services Section to move into the second floor is still being finalized. The floor itself won't be ready until next year, Parker said.
The county will pay $363,000 a year for the lease for the first floor and another $14,000 a year for lower-level storage space. The county did not have a cost figure for the construction project, since it is privately owned.
Rather than a cold and sterile intake, visitors to the center will find living-room style couches in a reception area specially designed for their comfort.
"They'll be greeted by a volunteer who will seat them and call a staff person who will come out and assess what their needs are," Parker said. "The whole concept is for people to feel comfortable. The mayor didn't want people walking up to a glass pane with a hole."
The center was partly funded by an $800,000 grant from the federal Administration on Aging. Eventually, the county would like to offer satellite resource centers in Kona and Honokaa, linked via teleconferencing.