Community Citizen Center in Illinois
As senior citizens age, they lose independence. They face different and diverse obstacles attributed to increasing health care costs and insurance rates. Jesse White acknowledged that elderly persons need supportive care services to meet and fulfilling the special needs of senior citizens. As a result, he developed diverse programs providing various services at discounted and affordable prices. He established the Illinois Community Senior Citizen Center to serve senior citizens in Illinois State. The center provides referral services for older persons in need of care and support without resources seek for professional caregivers. This Community Senior Citizen Center serves vulnerable senior citizens without family members to care for them. More so, they lack the financial capability to seek qualified assistance from care centers. The Secretary of Illinois State Jesse White established the community center to ensure such persons receive supportive services to elongate their lifespan and improve their quality of life (Jesse, 2014, p. 2).
The Illinois Community Senior Citizen Center was established to provide supportive care programs and services among older citizens on day-to-day activities. Qualified, trained, and experienced caregivers are hired to care, assist and support older adults residing in the community care center. Friends and family members admit senior citizens at the center aged above sixty years. Aged senior citizens often suffer from various health, social, and physical challenges hindering them from leading a quality life of independent, well-being family and community members. At the Illinois Community Senior Citizen Center, they receive both short and long-term supportive care involving various services (SIDA, 2013, p. 7).
Foremost, the adult day services are designed for elderly citizens with social, physical, and mental disabilities and challenges. Older persons suffer from mental and cognitive impairments due to the aging factor. Thus, they lose mental independence in relation to undertaking simple tasks such as maintaining personal hygiene and preparing meals without endangering their lives. Family members cannot leave them alone at home without a caregiver as they engage in career activities. Thus, most families in Illinois State prefer admitting elderly persons at the Illinois Community Senior Citizen Center because they receive high-quality treatment and care on a short and long-term basis (SIDA, 2013, p. 8).
Secondly, the local area agency on the aging resource center hires caregivers to assist families, friends, and interested parties in care and support for the senior citizens in the State. The agency educates them on various issues affecting elderly persons in order to provide relevant and applicable care, treatment, and supportive services. Respite services are provided to elderly persons with impairments and disabilities. They are specially designed to meet temporary, substituted, and supervised care services to ensure proper, applicable, and high-quality standardized healthcare services are provided to the present senior citizens (SIDA, 2013, p. 8).
Professional caregivers at the center assert elderly senior citizens often feel isolated and lonely. This further deteriorates the quality of life they lead away from community care centers serving other senior citizens. Their health, social life, and overall well-being have direct impacts on psychological, physical, mental, and cognitive abilities. Families visiting elderly members and friends asserted they admitted them at the Illinois Community Senior Citizen Center due to various factors hindering them from providing the much-needed support, care, and attention (SIDA, 2013, p. 13).
Foremost, they are either employers or employees with official roles and responsibilities to fulfill for more than five hours a day. More so, they need to meet, fulfill, and maintain the official duties due to financial needs and wants in the family. Thus, they often have limited time to spend with senior citizens in the family. Consequently, they may be too stressed or tired due to overworking (SIDA, 2013, p. 26).
Professional caregivers conversely asserted that it is unhealthy to interact with senior citizens with a negative attitude such as stress. It deteriorates their health as they often feel they are burdening their families. As they age, they lose personal independence in providing physical, mental, and health care as well as ensuring their overall well-being is achieved. Thus, they have to rely on family members and friends. Feeling like a burden to their family members and friends can therefore elevate levels of stress increasing lack of physical and mental health among senior, aged and needy citizens. More so, they are vulnerable to suffering from psychological impairments including depression and anxiety attacks. Families and friends are also vulnerable to suffering from illnesses, deaths, and financial constraints. These negative consequences in the family can adversely affect senior citizens residing in the family home. More so, it is challenging for family members caring for senior citizens at home when they are required to relocate due to official duties (SIDA, 2013, p. 26).
Conclusion
The Illinois Community Senior Citizen Center, therefore, caters to such families with elderly members. It ensures senior citizens at the center receive personalized high-quality health care services with care and love addressing social, mental, cognitive, and physical needs. This offers the rest of the family members an opportunity to carry out their daily activities. More so, the caregivers at the center provide the friends and family members lead a high quality and fulfilling life in equal measure as the senior citizens at the Illinois Community Senior Citizen Center. Thus, the center is a vital resource within the Illinois State for family members both young and aged. It caters to senior-aged citizens providing younger members with an opportunity to fulfill their life interests without neglecting elderly persons in the family.
References
Jesse, W. (2014). A Guide to Services: Serving Senior Citizens, Persons with Disabilities and Veterans, Springfield Illinois Secretary of State Social Community Report.
State of Illinois Department on Aging (SIDA). (2013). State and Federal Programs for Older Adults, Illinois Department on Aging R