The Jefferson 2000 Fund

Pew Renews Grant to Assist Elderly

The Pew Charitable Trusts have renewed support for the department of family medicine's outreach to the elderly with a $161,000 grant to the Geriatric Assessment and Treatment Program. The project, begun two years ago with a Pew grant, provides care to at-risk homebound senior citizens in the Ludlow section of North Philadelphia.

The grant allows the program to expand its services to reach more neighborhood residents who require healthcare services but who cannot leave their homes. After assessing this population's needs, a multidisciplinary team develops a plan of care and follow-up visits.

"We have a commitment to this geriatric community, and we know that these services improve the quality of their lives enormously," said Robert L. Perkel, MD, clinical associate professor of family medicine and director of the assessment and treatment project. "We want to be able to continue serving this group of people who may be among the forgotten and whose numbers are growing."

The grant provides for a geriatric nurse-practitioner to assist in home-health care, including the ordering of occupational and physical therapy. A social worker, who is also part of the team, provides help by securing the services of homemakers as well as arranging for meals, community support and financial and legal resources. The two home-health aides provided by the grant are recruited from the Ludlow community.

The Pew Charitable Trusts, a national and international philanthropy with a special commitment to Philadelphia, support nonprofit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. The Trusts have supported a wide variety of Jefferson departments and projects for many years.