Community Services
A number of community-based programs offer various forms of help, camaraderie, and comfort to enable the elderly and disabled to remain as independent as possible. With a full range of services, from help with grooming, to meal services, to medical care, these programs all have specialized requirements for participants to qualify.
While some are able to get help with basic tasks such as grocery shopping and transportation informally through neighbors, friends, and family members, many others simply have no one nearby to lend helping hands -- or they may hesitate to ask for the fear of becoming burdensome.
For many people, the organized and dependable help offered through community-based services and programs allows them to get needed care at home rather than having to enter a costly institution. For others, the programs provide an essential stopgap in services before seeking or locating a residential care or nursing facility.
Some of the most common programs aimed at independent living are below.