Older adults in Albuquerque who are at risk of losing their homes or just need some support to stay independent have a few options through the city’s Department of Senior Affairs. KUNM sat down with Maria ReQua from the department to learn more.
MARIA REQUA: For seniors to connect to services, they would call our information and assistance hotline (505-764-6400). This program finds out what the seniors need and finds resources in the community. We have a lot of calls for seniors needing home delivered meals.
Our information and assistance connects these seniors to our case management program. They perform an in-home assessment and make referrals for those home delivered meals, or to other services with community partners such as homemaker services, or respite services, as well as adult daycare.
KUNM: I understand you have a retrofit program. Tell me a little bit about that.
REQUA: We have construction teams that will visit seniors homes to do minor repairs. Perhaps it's just chores, helping them change light bulbs that they can't reach or batteries and smoke detectors, all the way to retrofitting their homes for access. That could be modifying stairs for a senior who uses a walker or building a ramp for a senior who's wheelchair bound.
KUNM: Are there any services that you think people might be surprised to learn that you offer?
REQUA: So another thing that the Department of senior affairs Home Services Program can help with is seniors who might be cited for yard work. Maybe they have been issued a citation through code enforcement. Our Home Services program can send folks out to help them to bring their yard into compliance.
KUNM: What's available to older adults who are already experiencing homelessness?
REQUA: The City of Albuquerque has another department outside of the department of senior affairs. Their acronym is HHH. It's a relatively new department. They are Housing, Health and Homelessness.
But here with the Department of senior affairs through our information and assistance program, as well as with the help of our advocate specialist, we are compiling lists of resources for seniors facing housing issues and creating a better referral system from the Department of Senior Affairs to the city's HHH.
KUNM: I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who aren't aware of all the different programs that the city offers. What's available to them if they'd like to learn a little bit more, maybe even have a little bit of help navigating them?
REQUA: For any active senior 50 and older, we have our congregate services through our senior centers, and multigenerational centers, as well as sports and fitness centers.
As they age, they can be connected to the Social Services division so that we can help them navigate their needs, so that as they become, say, homebound, they can get more services in their home.
All of our services in the Department of Senior Affairs start through our call center and a senior or their family caregiver can call in to find out about any service that the department offers or about our partners in the community. Our team is able to connect seniors to legal services, for instance, through various community programs that work with seniors on legal issues.
Additional Resources:
The Department of Senior Affairs Quick Guide – a booklet with contact information for dozens of services, from caregiving to unemployment benefits and pet care.
Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity – also has a retrofit program that helps keep older adults in their homes.
Albuquerque Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness resource guide – includes a help line that connects callers to advocates who can make referrals.
Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless – provides medical and other services to people experiencing homelessness.
First Nations Community Healthsource – provides medical services to American Indian/Alaska Native families.
Silver Horizons – provides support to low-income older adults to help them stay in their homes, from retrofits, bills and even vet visits.
Albuquerque Coordinated Resource Guide - listings of all kinds of resources around housing, evictions and foreclosures, case management, and transportation.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
