The Southeast Regional Eldercare Coalition and the Juneau Economic Development Council, in collaboration with the City Borough Juneau Juneau Commission on Aging, recently announced receipt of a $2.5 million grant to implement a pilot project to improve care and services to people 60 years of age and older across Southeast Alaska.
In late 2021, social service providers in Southeast Alaska that serve aging people gathered to discuss daily challenges, according to Southeast Regional Eldercare Coalition. As a result of that gathering, the Southeast Regional Eldercare Coalition was formed to “bring eldercare providers together to problem-solve mutual issues, share program information, and be a collaborative force for change.”
This grant allows for the creation of a team specifically dedicated to increasing the workforce capacity for the delivery of in-home care to aging seniors across Southeast Alaska. Working directly with employers that provide such eldercare services, the project team will utilize a two-pronged approach: 1) the outreach, training, and retention of in-home workers in partnership with provider agencies; and 2) a supplemental wage program to enhance the wages of caregivers who are providing this crucial in-home service.
In addition to JEDC, the SREC Steering Committee partners include Catholic Community Service, Community Connections, Southeast Alaska Independent Living, State of Alaska Department of Workforce & Labor Development, AARP Juneau, Bartlett Regional Hospital, and the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Elderly Services. This initiative is made possible by a grant from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.
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