Bethesda has received a $25,000 grant from the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis for the purpose of providing area seniors living in their homes with access to in-home assistance, durable medical equipment, transportation, and telehealth services during COVID-19 and beyond.
“As COVID-19 continues to drive significant changes in healthcare delivery, our Home and Community Based Services team can certainly put this funding to good use,” says Missy McAuley, Director of Home Health and Hospice at Bethesda. “This will help us serve our economically disadvantaged seniors with much-needed short-term assistance, especially during these unprecedented times.”
Seniors on fixed incomes often lack funds to pay for someone to come into their home and cook or provide care for them. These same seniors may have no way of getting to their doctor or picking up their prescriptions. They must often “pick and choose” the care and services they can afford until either their next check arrives or they hear if they qualify for additional resources.
Thanks to the generosity of the Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis and the skillsets of the Home and Community Services team, these community members no longer will be forced to choose. “Lutheran Foundation appreciates Bethesda’s efforts to support older adults by offering personalized in-home care services,” commented Ann L. Vazquez, Lutheran Foundation President/CEO. “Services like these help older adults remain in their homes and live independently.”
Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis is the grant-making ministry of 74 St. Louis-area Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod congregations. The Lutheran Foundation’s vision is to see the Church brought into the lives of hurting people and people included in the healing life of the Church.
