Faith in action caregivers

Faith in action caregivers

Written by Julia Kennedy Jayes Thursday, 07 December 2006

Faith in Action Caregivers-Northwest provides services for the elderly

Twenty years ago, when seniors living in what was then the outermost edges of the Austin suburbs needed help with transportation, they turned to their local churches. It didn’t take long for the congregations to recognize the need. Seniors needed help getting to doctors’ appointments, or they needed someone to look in on them from time to time, or maybe they just needed a chance to get out and make some friends.

In response, the churches formed Far Northwest Caregivers in 1986. The group’s mission has remained constant: to provide transportation, social activities, and other support services to seniors, thereby allowing those seniors to remain active in the community and live independently. But new strength and opportunity has come along in a newly-formed coalition of caregiver organizations called Faith in Action Caregivers (FIAC).

“There are eight Caregivers organizations throughout the Central Texas area, from Georgetown down to South Austin and from Cedar Park to Leander. But up until recently, we’ve had an informal partnership,” said Serita Lacasse, executive director of FIAC-Pflugerville. “With help from the Faith in Action Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we all signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ that will formalize our association and help ensure we’re all working to accomplish the same mission.”

The new collaboration should help all eight entities become more efficient. The group has begun a series of ads at the Tinseltown and Barton Creek movie theaters to ask for volunteers and to spread the word about FIAC.

“We want to be just as familiar as Meals on Wheels or Habitat for Humanity. Part of the point of the partnership is to consolidate our name and create some recognition so people know what our goal is, what services we provide, and how to get in touch with us. It will help families and clients, as well as help us gain the support we need,” Lacasse said.

Far Northwest Caregivers, now FIAC-Northwest, serves more than 230 seniors.

“As of the end of November, we’ve provided over 1,100 round-trip transports in 2006,” Sarah Carriker, executive director, said.

In addition to providing much needed transportation for area seniors, the group also offers a Senior Day Out program twice a month at Pond Springs Baptist Church on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon.

“It’s a social event sponsored by a congregation that provides lunch. The seniors get an opportunity to socialize and make friends,” Carriker said. “They have board games or bingo and even a reading group for the visually impaired.”

FIAC-Northwest relies almost entirely on volunteers. “We always need volunteer drivers, volunteers to help with the Senior Day Out, volunteers for the office – we’re almost completely volunteer-driven, so we can’t emphasize that need enough! It’s really rewarding because of the one-on-one time they get with the senior they’re helping. Our volunteers always tell me they get more than they give,” Carriker said. “I think it’s good karma.”

Tax-deductible Donations can be mailed to:

Faith in Action Caregivers, 10633 Lake Creek Parkway, Austin, TX 78750

Volunteering

All volunteers go through a simple, one-hour training, a background check and submit three references.

Volunteers are allowed to bring their children when volunteering.

Eligible Seniors

FIAC serves individuals over the age of 60 who live independently and are self-ambulatory. Clients are visited in-home prior to beginning services.

Faith in Action Caregivers - Northwest

250-5021