Foundation for Senior Care hires new care advocate

FALLBROOK – The Foundation for Senior Care has hired Kay Gomez as new senior care advocate to replace Susan Baglien who recently retired.

"With a 46 percent increase in care advocate services over the past year," Executive Director Rachel Mason said. "We needed a well-qualified, compassionate person to step into Susan's shoes and join our care advocate team. Kay is an ideal fit."

Gomez has a master's degree in counseling psychology, several years' experience working with older adults and most recently as the director of social services at a skilled nursing facility.

"I'm passionate about working with seniors and helping in whatever way possible to improve their overall quality of life," Gomez said.

The Foundation for Senior Care currently has three senior care advocates devoted to helping seniors and disabled individuals. Kay Gomez and Ashley Hancock are the two advocates who regularly meet with clients and their families, often in their homes, to understand their challenges and needs. Next, they coordinate with the appropriate local and government organizations to meet those needs.

"They essentially serve as a lifeline to essential services. Clients repeatedly tell us they literally would not know what to do without the advocates' help" Mason said. "Kay and Ashley free up our other care advocate, Darlene Weber, to focus exclusively on hospital and skilled nursing discharges in our Door-Through-Door Hospital to Home program. Coming home from the hospital or a stay at a skilled nursing facility should be about healing, not about struggling with lack of food, medicine, equipment or wondering if anyone is coming to help.

"If one of those pieces is missing, the result is often a revolving door back into the hospital. Darlene communicates directly with the hospital or nursing facility and any agency needed before discharge and even drives clients home when there is no family member or friend available to do so. She follows up to ensure the client has whatever is needed to continue to heal. This program has been such a success, enabling clients to safely return home and focus on healing and breaking the cycle of repeated hospitalizations. The program served 150 clients during its pilot year. We expect it and our other services to continue to grow.

"To keep our care advocacy programs along with our other essential transportation and adult day care services viable for many years to come, we ask for the community's support with ongoing donations," Mason said. "With Fallbrook an unincorporated area, residents do not have access to city services so seniors are especially vulnerable and must rely on nonprofits. As our community ages, it is important that we are here to help our neighbors be safe and independent in their own homes for as long as possible."

Mason encouraged everyone to spread the word about the services available to seniors and disabled adults through the Foundation for Senior Care and to let their friends and neighbors know volunteers are also needed.

"We often need volunteers to help in the office with mailings for upcoming fundraisers and to volunteer as drivers in our Expanded Rides program," Mason said. "It takes people with heart to keep these services available to our rapidly growing senior population."

Learn more about The Foundation for Senior Care at http://www.foundationforseniorcare.org.

Submitted by Foundation for Senior Care.