Award
Winners
2004
BUSINESS AND AGING AWARDS
The ASA Business and Aging Awards, one for a large company and one for a small company, recognize exemplary company programs that meet the needs of older adults and their families, expand public awareness of the private sector's increasing involvement with older adults, and create performance models for other companies to emulate.
LARGE
COMPANY
Pfizer Inc.
For a number of years, Pfizer has demonstrated their support of aging programs and services through strong partnerships in programs, financial resources and human resources. They have been partners in innovative programs such as this year's Taking Health to Heart program and GeorgiaCares, as well as those that are ongoing such as the production of programs and educational materials designed for and about older adults and information about the management of diseases.
The Taking Health to Heart Program is a collaborative partnership between the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), which is the area agency on aging in Atlanta, and the county-based aging program, Fulton County Office of Aging. The partnership focus was established after many discussions around documented coronary artery disease data, treatment guidelines and increases in risk associated with age. The program purpose is to improve education around the importance of cholesterol management in the senior population and to evaluate the impact of lifestyle interventions on the level of coronary risk among the program participants.
At program launch, Pfizer's mobile unit staff collected baseline clinical data during screenings at four participating multi-purpose senior centers. Pfizer provided the meals, entertainment, educational materials and publicity of the events that were attended by approximately 800 older adults. Approximately 350 willing participants, who are at risk for cardiovascular disease, were identified and enrolled in a two-year comprehensive cholesterol management program. Pfizer's "Close to the Heart" cholesterol management materials are mailed to the enrolled participants monthly. These educational materials are augmented with existing exercise programs and nutritional classes offered at the senior centers as well as a series of creative, monthly educational programs designed to reinforce the importance of continued participation.
When former governor Roy Barnes decided to create the unique GeorgiaCares partnership, Pfizer was once again one of the first supporters. In order to improve access for older adults to prescription drug coverage in the absence of federal or state prescription drug benefit plan, pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy partners made significant contributions to fund GeorgiaCares, which combines the state health insurance assistance program (SHIP), formerly called HICARE in Georgia, with a new enhanced component providing detailed information and assistance to consumers about the free and discount drug program available for Georgia's elders.
Pfizer's advertising campaigns and promotions include positive images of older adults in realistic, age-integrated settings without pandering to seniors or using negative stereotypes. Attractive and understandable health and wellness brochures are produced for diverse populations in different languages and are readily available for different audiences such as aging programs, physicians and patients. Pfizer's corporate philanthropy is done quietly in the spirit of good community partnerships.
Southern California Edison
(Honorable Distinction)
With 3.3 million residents age 65 and over, California is home to the largest elderly population in the country. The Californians over age 85 represents the fastest growing segment of the population. As the senior population grows, many seniors are choosing to stay in their own homes and remain in charge of their own lives as they age. Southern California Edison (SCE) is committed to helping these older adults, who remain in their own homes, maintain a safe, comfortable, independent lifestyle.
SCE is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States providing electric services to more than 4.2 million business and residential customers over a 50,000 square mile service area in Coastal, Central, and Southern California.
Special Assistance Programs-The Personal Touch
SCE has found that the most effective way to serve the senior population is to make personal contact; to take information about programs and services to where they are; and to make sure to address issues important to them. By actively participating in senior organizations and events, and by listening to their concerns, SCE has developed several special assistance programs to meet the needs of its senior customers. One of the unique programs is "Partners for Hope".
"Partners for Hope" is a program to assist seniors facing medical emergencies. It is a partnership between SCE and hospitals/medical facilities that provides training and materials to hospital staff (social workers, home-health staff, and case administrators) on SCE programs and services. This program provides seniors a helping hand in a time of need, assistance with paying their bills, and information to help them with their electric accounts in the future. In addition, our medical partners are grateful to have an additional tool to help their clients.
Partnerships
SCE's extensive partnerships with communities, social service agencies, community-based organizations, and other contacts serving the elderly enable SCE to broaden its outreach efforts; provides agencies and organizations with additional tools to help their senior clients, and most importantly, enables more seniors to receive the assistance they need. Two of our partners are the San Gabriel Valley American Red Cross and the Riverside County Department of Aging.
Senior Communications
Our approach in SCE is to personalize program information specifically for our senior customers. Our Power Talk for Seniors brochure was developed using recommendations provided by USC's School of Gerontology on color preference and font size. To acknowledge how seniors put "energy" back in their communities, SCE purposefully selected graphics showing "active" seniors. The brochure contains safety tips, programs and services information, and helpful phone numbers for our senior customers.
Senior Alliances
In order to best serve the senior population, SCE must be aware of issues that impact them. SCE actively participates in senior organizations and conferences in order to keep abreast of the current issues facing our seniors.
Making a Difference!
While SCE is the only California utility company offering many of these programs and services to seniors, there is much more to do. SCE is committed, over the long term, to develop and implement additional programs that will be of value to our seniors and make a difference in their lives.
Wells Fargo Elder Services
(Honorable Distinction)
Wells Fargo Elder Services has developed a unique approach to managing both healthcare and financial resources to meet two of the primary concerns of frail elder: health and money.
Each of our clients receives a visit from a nurse care manager, at our expense, to assess their current living situation. These assessments uncover concerns ranging from missing smoke detectors, needed repairs to self-neglect. Our clients and their families benefit from this assessment by identifying current problems, gaps, or service needs and planning to meet those needs. In addition, a thorough review of all the client's documents enables us to identify the key players in the event the client needs assistance. This is extremely important to this population and their families, as the location of these documents is often unknown or forgotten in times of crisis. Documents on file can range from healthcare directive to funeral plans.
Wells Fargo Elder Services also conducts a complete review of the client's assets and liabilities. We prepare the client's individual tax returns and make the estimated payments. We file late or unfiled taxes and pay lapsed premiums for health, life, homeowners and long-term care insurance. We help our clients enroll in Medicare and find supplemental care policies. We have been instrumental in discovering and stopping financial abuse for more than 30 percent of our clients.
Products and service recommendations for this population are sourced most often through a social worker in a hospital setting or other communal living arrangement or through a county program. In many cases our clients are not ill nor do they qualify for any county programs. Access to services is often through the door of poverty and these people are not impoverished. Yet, they have many of the same health, social, and economic issues. In addition, they are as vulnerable as any other frail elders - maybe more so because of their assets.
We have a five-step process that we use with each of our clients that includes document identification and review, asset and liability management, healthcare planning and coordination, tax planning and coordination, and estate management and settlement. We try to address all aspects of our clients' lives from the financial to the psychosocial.
These services and others customized for each of our clients are provided through a revocable trust with Wells Fargo as trustee. This is an excellent example of how a nontraditional provider can add great value and mobilize a wide array of resources to meet the needs and demands of this rapidly growing market.
Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $391 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance from more than 5,900 stores, the internet (wellsfargo.com), and other distribution channels across North America and elsewhere internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is the only "AAA"- rated bank in the United States.
SMALL BUSINESS
Catalyst Benefits, Inc.
Affinity leads to loyalty. Loyalty leads to consumer actions. Catalyst Benefits, Inc. is committed to assisting organizations to achieve their strategic initiatives through focused affinity programs in the aging adult market. Launched in 1995, this Northbrook, Illinois based corporation currently works with over 275 such clients, representing more than 2.2 million adults over the age of 55. Recognizing that different organizations seek different consumer actions (increased revenue, enhanced image, reduced admissions, permission marketing, foundation gifting and/or advocacy), Catalyst works closely with each client to tailor its affinity program to meet its specific strategic initiatives.
Through a series of exclusive, innovative and high quality benefits, Catalyst offers affinity group members opportunities to save money and receive value. All benefits provide serious financial savings, are tied to core medical and socialization needs, provide end users with real choices and selection and reduce red tape and paperwork. Catalyst provides benefits to each client on a cafeteria basis, allowing the organization to select what is best for its particular membership. End user benefits are clustered as follows: Healthy Living: Catalyst Scripts Pharmacy Discount Program, Catalyst Outlook Vision Program, Catalyst Dental Program, ResponseLink Personal Emergency Response Systems, Long Term Care Insurance Seminars and Medicare Supplement Planning Sessions. Active Lifestyle: Collette Vacations, Hertz Car Rental Discounts and GrandConnection. Catalyst also provides an array of Administrative benefits to facilitate the program director's role. These include diversified consultation services, an affinity program database, the Project Secure Aging Sensitivity Training Program, Maturity Mark Company newsletters and communication services, and the marketing services of Acrobat Marketing.
Since 1998, Catalyst has hosted an Annual Conference for affinity program directors. This forum provides an opportunity to share the latest research trends, peer teaching, networking and a platform to introduce new and unique program offerings. Catalyst and Maturity Mark Services survey over 700 hospitals/organizations to prepare for each conference, producing both current and trend data on affinity programs. This data has led to industry standards on issues such as staff ratios, budget expenditures, salaries and ROI. At the Annual Conference, the "Catalyst Institute for Excellence and Innovation" presents awards in nine key areas to recognize exemplary program components. Similarly, the "Academy of Best Demonstrated Practice" will induct into its ranks professionals whose overall practice is most commendable. The Annual Conference also provides opportunities for updating by Catalyst Task Forces involved in establishing high quality and replicable beta projects related to issues such as grandparenting, aging research, aging and the arts and the identification of new administrative trends. At the 2003 Conference, a Catalyst Task Force unveiled the first in a series of demonstration tools and monographs. "Is Anybody Listening? A Series of Aging Monologues" has been produced around the country as a dramatic and poignant means of opening communication on a broad array of issues facing aging adults today.
In a listing of Catalyst's accomplishments over this initial nine year period, none has greater importance to its principles or is more deeply appreciated than this: All new Catalyst clients result from referrals by existing Catalyst contracted organizations.
Wheeler Kearns Architects
(Honorable Distinction)
Wheeler Kearns Architects is a twelve-person architectural firm located in Chicago, Illinois that specializes in the collaborative design of facilities for not-for-profits. The firm, founded in 1987, seeks to find an emotional center for each project early on and then strives for simple, elegant architectural solutions to support it.
Kept purposely small, Wheeler Kearns Architects attends to every detail for every aspect of a project, regardless of its magnitude. The firm has completed projects in numerous regions stretching from South Carolina to Alaska. Notable projects include The Old Town School of Folk Music, The Chicago Children's Museum, The Beverly Art Center, Marwen, The Hamill Family Play Zoo at Brookfield Zoo, and the North Avenue Beach House. In 1996, WKA was named Chicago AIA Firm of the Year. In 1999, a book entitled Ten Houses was published by Rockport Press on the work of the firm.
Since 1999, Wheeler Kearns Architects has collaborated with Mather Lifeways to create a series of four multi-faceted senior-service centers located in Chicago, Illinois. The centers, lightheartedly referred to as "Starbucks for Seniors", are a unique combination of a restaurant, gathering place, and educational center that offer programs and services for local seniors. Developed as an alternative to regional facilities operated by governmental agencies, the facilities are based on the core belief that seniors can live most happily and productively in their own communities. The cafes provide necessary services in the context of the fun, food, and friends of an intimate neighborhood café.
The cafes were all adapted from vacant storefronts in the Chicago neighborhoods of Galewood/Montclare, Norwood Park, Portage/Cragin, and Chatham. Each project, ranging in size from 3,600 square feet to 6,000 square feet, has a large dining area that serves as the social hub. Surrounded by an open plan reminiscent of a campus student union, the patrons can find comfort sitting by themselves, watching others participate, or by participating with a group.
Architecturally, priority was given to design elements that could allow patrons to establish ownership over the space quickly while avoiding the imagery traditionally associated with senior facilities. The main dining tables are custom-made shadow box tables, with glass topped curio-like shallow compartments that are filled with memorabilia loaned by the patrons. Consequently, the tables reflect the unique culture of each neighborhood and provoke conversation about common memories. The spaces incorporate a contemporary palette of boldly hued colors of ochre, orange, and moss green, which are counterbalanced by indigo blue accents.
In 2002, three cafes served over 6,700 older adults and attracted attention from service providers as far away as Japan. More information about Wheeler Kearns Architects is available on their website at wkarch.com.
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