Eldercare Foundation
The Eldercare Foundation was established in 2000 to increase the community’s awareness of the needs of aging individuals and their families, as well as to raise funds to better serve our community’s elders. We do this through support of Home Aides of Central New York.
Donate in Honor of a Home Health Aide
Why should I give to the Eldercare Foundation?
As the community experiences unprecedented growth in the aging population, there is a looming gap between the number of people who will need supportive services to remain at home and the number of workers available to help them. It’s what is called a “CARE GAP.”
The issue is a critical one for the Central New York community – one that not only impacts our lives today, but will have an even greater impact on the care of our community’s elders tomorrow. To find out more about how we are addressing this concern, download our Case Statement.
Your gifts to the Eldercare Foundation will help to:
- Increase the number of home health aides through recruitment and retention activities
- Offer more advanced training programs to provide career advancement opportunities for our workforce
- Purchase technology to maximize the use of scarce resources and enhance the quality of care for those we serve
- Assist with special projects and capital expenditures
Your donation will help our community’s elders receive the support they need to live with dignity and independence.
How can I help?« Top
Memorial/Honor Giving
This type of gift is a special way to honor or memorialize someone who has touched your life.
- Specify that memorial contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Eldercare Foundation or Home Aides of Central New York
- Make a gift in recognition of a special event such as weddings or birthdays
- Aide Appreciation Program
This program is a great way to express gratitude to an aide who has cared for a loved one. Gifts will help underwrite our Aide Recognition Dinner in April (home health aides are able to attend at no cost), advanced training programs, aide recognition programs and other aide thank you events held throughout the year. Also, let us know if you want us to send a note of appreciation to the aide you are honoring.
Annual Giving
Annual gifts provide important funding for current programs such as aide training and recruitment, and special projects. Gifts can be given once a year or through a monthly giving program.
Special Events
Each year, the Eldercare Foundation hosts two annual events – our Eldercare Celebrity Open in the spring and our Gift of Age Cabaret in the fall. As a corporate sponsor there are a variety of sponsorship recognition opportunities available.
Estate Planning
Every charitable individual has the ability to make a difference in the lives that follow them. Whether through a will, life insurance policy, IRA, or trust, your attorney or professional advisor can help you establish a charitable gift to the Eldercare Foundation or Home Aides of Central New York. More information on this subject can be found at www.leavealegacyofcny.org. If you wish to include the Eldercare Foundation or Home Aides of Central New York in your will, call the Foundation Office at (315) 476-4295 x 203 for assistance.
Eldercare Foundation Board of Directors« Top
Anita P. Lombardi, Chair
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Donor Testimonials« Top
Paul L. Shubmehl, National Grid
When my dad was at Francis House, I was overwhelmed by the care and compassion shown by the Home Aides of Central New York staff members who work there. With the aging of our community, myself included, the need will only increase for skilled aides who can provide professional, dignified home care for all citizens.
- Paul L. Shubmehl
Angela Bernat
Home Aides of Central New York cared for my mother during the last three years of her life. Thanks to the extraordinary commitment of her caregivers, my mother was able to remain in the home that she so loved. My husband, Ed, and I continue to show our gratitude to Home Aides through our donations and volunteer work. It gives us great pleasure to commemorate special occasions, such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, with a donation in our parents’ memory; the pleasure is doubled because we know that our donations will help someone else’s loved one stay at home with the excellent care provided by Home Aides of Central New York.
- Angela Bernat
Peter Huntington, MD
I support Home Aides of CNY and the Eldercare Foundation because they supply and train home health aides for our Central New York community. Home health aides are an essential link in the chain of health care providers and administrators who help our frail, elderly patients stay in their home or assisted living facility and out of a nursing home.
- Peter Huntington, MD
Sue Schilling, Bryant & Stratton College
The support we received from Home Aides of Central New York to help my mom and dad stay at home for as long as they could in their last months was very important to us. The home health aides added to their health and peace of mind, as well as mine! I have stayed connected to Home Aides because I know first-hand that there is enormous value in the services they provide. Over the years, as I’ve served on the Board of Directors for both organizations, I’ve come to learn that many of us have had the same experiences with our elders. We are committed to continue to support the agency’s fine efforts.
- Sue Schilling, Bryant & Stratton College
Sam Haines, Gear Motions, Inc.
My frail, elderly mother was not able to stay in her home. I know firsthand the negative impact that this life-altering event had on her and her family. I am certain her later years could have been significantly improved had we had access to the type of care Home Aides provides. As many more individuals, like my mother, face this difficult situation, and especially as the baby boomer population continues to age, the demand for home health aides in our community is rapidly growing. Home Aides of Central New York strives to erase this ”Care Gap” in our community. Supporting Home Aides of Central New York will enable the frail and elderly among us to enjoy a greater quality of life in the homes they know and love.
- Sam Haines, Gear Motions, Inc.
Recent News« Top
The Eldercare Foundation recently donated $10,000 to Home Aides of Central New York to help put a fresh spin on the agency’s home health aide recruitment efforts. Among other plans, the gift will help Home Aides of Central New York explore the potential benefits of social media marketing.
Home Aides of Central New York is the largest non-profit provider of home health aide services in Central New York. Despite this fact, the agency faces an ongoing shortage of home health aides, turning away an average of 50 to 100 service requests each month. This trend is unlikely to change, as the region’s elderly population continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.
According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, Central New York is expected to see a 40 percent increase in its number of citizens over the age of 65 between 2005 and 2030. At the same time, the pool of potential caregivers is steadily decreasing. According to the National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce, the state’s traditional care-giving workforce (women aged 25 to 44) will decrease 13.5 percent by 2030. This worrying trend, known as the “care gap,” is perpetuated by the out-migration of working-age individuals.
As the state’s population continues to age, the demand for home healthcare workers will only increase. According to the New York State Department of Labor, personal and home care aides will be first among the Top 25 Fastest Growing Occupations in the Central New York region through 2018.
Historically, Home Aides of Central New York has utilized traditional recruitment methods, relying on newspaper “help wanted” advertisements, employment websites, targeted mailings and job fairs to attract applicants. Now, thanks to the funds provided by the Eldercare Foundation, it hopes to tap into the wealth of recruitment opportunities offered by online technologies including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. According to agency President Sandra Martin, these social media powerhouses will open up opportunities for the agency to reach potential employees who may not have known about the agency before.
“As the ‘care gap’ challenges our mission of enabling individuals to remain at home with dignity and independence, we will continue to search for the most cost-effective, efficient way to connect with potential home health aides,” Martin states. “With the help of today’s social media technology, we hope to recruit more aides to serve the increasing number of aging individuals in need in our community.”
Photo Caption: (Right to left) Anita Lombardi, 2012 Chair, Eldercare Foundation and David G. Murray, MD, 2011 Chair, Eldercare Foundation, present Sandra H. Martin, President, Home Aides of Central New York, and Anthony P. Marshall, Esq., Chair, Home Aides of Central New York, with a $10,000 gift to be used toward the agency’s recruitment efforts.